The whole works of the Rev. Ebenezer Erskine, Minister of the gospel at Stirling : consisting of sermons and discourses, on important and interesting subjects ; to which is added, an enlarged memoir of the author

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LIBEAEY

PRINCETON, N. J.

No. Cos,, Ci/is^..
No. Book,

The John M. Krehs Donation.

£73

THE

WHOLE WORKS

OF THE

REV. EBENEZER ERSKINE,

MINISTER OF THE GOSPEL AT STIRLING.

CONSISTING OF

SERMONS AND DISCOURSES,

ON IMPORTANT AND INTERESTING SUBJECTS.

TO WHICH IS ADDED,

AN ENLARGED MEMOIR OF THE AUTHOR,

BY THE

REV. D. FRASER,

MINISTER OF THE UNITED ASSOCIATE SYNOD, KENNOWAY, FIFE.

IN THREE VOLUMES.
VOL. I.

PHILADELPHIA:
PUBLISHED AND FOR SALE BY WM. S. & A. YOUNG,

No. 173, Race Street.

1836.

■It-

QRIGGS & CO., PRINTERS.

MEMOIR ' . W-U

"■Jfrr

REV. EBENEZER ERSKINE.

The desire of becoming acquainted with the character and his-
tory of a writer, to whose pen we are indebted for entertainment
or instruction, is almost universally felt; and, in some instances,
the gratification of this natural wish is conducive to very valua-
ble purposes. When we sit down to peruse publications rich in
evangelical sentiment and fervid with earnest exhortation, the sa-
lutary impressions which such writings tend to produce, are likely,
by the divine blessing, to be considerably aided by means of am-
ple and authentic intelligence, previously obtained, of a corre-
sponding spirit and behaviour, on the part of their authors. Who
does not know that the charms of truth are never more alluring,
and that her power is never more invincible, than when she comes
recommended by a man, whose whole conduct, amidst numerous
vicissitudes and trials, has afforded convincing evidence, that he
belonged to the class of her earnest admirers, and most disinte-
rested votaries? The peculiar circumstances, too, in which a
writer has been placed, the singular services that in providence
he may have been called to perform, and the bold appearance he
may have found himself compelled to make in opposition to exist-
ing errors and defections, will so often serve to illustrate and pal-
liate, if not completely to justify, various passages in his writings,
which otherwise might appear obscure and unaccountable. For
these and similar reasons, many have sincerely regretted, that in
all former editions of the works of the Rev. Ebenezer Erskine,
the prefixed accounts of his life have been so superficial. The
present Memoir, though moderate in its extent, and by no means
exhausting all the materials that are now at command, is intended,
in a great measure, to supply this defect.

The parentage of Mr. Erskine was highly respectable. His
father, the Rev. Henry Erskine of Chirnside, was one of the
younger of thirty-three children of Ralph Erskine of Shielfield,

IV MEMOIR OF THE REV. EBENEZER ERSKINE.

an ancient family in the county of Merse, descended from the
noble house of Mar. Interesting accounts of this worthy minis-
ter of Christ have been long in the hands of the public* He
was born at Dry burgh in the year 1624, educated at the Uni-
versity of Edinburgh, and ordained at Cornhill in Northumber-
land, probably in the year 1649. After exercising his ministry
there with hopeful appearances of success, for more than twelve
years, he was ejected in 1662, in common with a numerous host
of faithful brethren, for n on -conformity to Prelacy. Some ar-
rears of stipend that were owing him at the time of his ejection,
were unjustly and cruelly withheld. After a fruitless voyage to
London to recover the debt, he took up his abode at the place of
his nativity, where he resided quietly for a series of years, preach-
ing the gospel occasionally as opportunities occurred. During
this period too, he seems to have prosecuted sacred studies with
peculiar ardour. Two of his Manuscripts are still extant; the
one of which is dated 1664, and consists chiefly of a number of
extracts from various authors on theology and church history.
The other is a thick volume 12mo. containing a concise system
of divinity, in the Latin tongue, which is entitled, Theologize
Ostium, and seems to be his own composition. It includes short
replies to six hundred and forty-seven Questions on various points,
and was finished in the year 1665. But whatever comparative
tranquillity he enjoyed for a season, he began about the year 1682,
to undergo severe persecution. He was banished from his native
country, fined in the sum of 5000 merks, and repeatedly impri-
soned in different places. After the passing of the Act of In-
demnity, however, he was restored to liberty, and preached for
some time at Monilaws, in the parish of Branxton, Northumber-
land, and afterwards at Whitsom, a village on the north of the
Tweed. During his residence at Whitsom, it pleased God to
make him the instrument of converting the celebrated Mr. Tho-
mas Boston of Etterick, then a boy about ten years of age. Mr.
Boston himself, in his " Soliloquy on the Art of Man-fishing,"
ascribes his first saving; impressions of the truth to sermons which
he heard delivered at Newton of Whitsom, by " a preacher, who
spared neither his body, his credit, nor reputation, to gain the
souls of men."

Shortly after the happy Revolution of 1688, this venerable man
accepted a call to the parish of Chirnside, where he continued to
discharge his office with exemplary fidelity and much success till
he entered the joy of his Lord on the 10th of August, 1696, in
the seventy-second year of his age. Amidst all the hardships he
suffered for the sake of the gospel, this excellent minister found
great cause to adore the goodness of God, not only in cheering
him with the consolations of his Spirit, but also in wonderfully
providing for the temporal subsistence of himself and family.
He met with much kindness both from relations and from stran-

* See Wodrow's History of the Church of Scotland, Calamy's Lives of the
Ejected Ministers, &c.

MEMOIR OF THE REV. EBENEZER ERSKIXE. V

gers, and had occasion to observe many striking instances, in
which the most seasonable relief was unexpectedly administered.
The manner of his departure was singularly edifying. Being
seized with a fever, and aware that his end was approaching, he
called for his children, and addressed them with an air of heaven-
ly authority. Of nine that were then living, six were present.
As a dying man, and a dying father, he bore his testimony to the
superior excellence of the ways of God; told them that the ad-
vantages of serious religion infinitely outweigh all the difficulties
that can possibly attend it; assured them that as he had never re-
pented, so more especially then, he did not repent of any hard-
ships he had endured in his Master's service; and expressed his
full persuasion that he was going to the kingdom of heaven, and
that if they were followers of his faith and patience, he and they
should ere long have a joyful meeting there. After this, in the
most solemn and impressive manner, he charged and engaged
them, one by one, to be faithful servants to the God of Abraham,
Isaac, and Jacob, and his own God in Christ, and to keep his
way, as ever they would look him in the face in the great day of
judgment. And, in fine, having blessed them, and committed
his beloved wife and them to the care of Providence, he com-
mended his spirit into the hands of his redeeming God and Fa-
ther. He was interred in the church -yard of Chirnside; and a
Latin epitaph, with a translation subjoined, composed by the Rev.
John Dysert of Coldingham, representing chiefly the incorruptible
integrity and unshaken resolution which adorned his character,
was engraven on his tombstone. The stone was renewed by his
sons, Ebenezer and Ralph, when they made a visit to that part
of the country, upwards of thirty or forty years after their father's
death. A few years ago, too, an estimable inhabitant of Chirn-
side, observing that this stone, was greatly defaced, much to his
credit, put himself to the trouble of repairing it. It will gratify
the pious reader also to learn, that, in consequence of the lauda-
ble exertions of the same individual, and a few others, both of
the clergy and laity, an elegant monument, about twenty feet
high, closely adjoining the original stone, and bearing an appro-
priate inscription, has been erected by subscription this same year
1825, to' the memory of the Rev. Henry Erskine, as a venerable
sufferer in the cause of truth.

Mr. Ebenezer's mother, Margaret Halcro, a native of Ork-
ney, was not unworthy of such a husband. According to com-
munications lately received by one of her descendants from Ro-
bert Nicolson, Esq., Kirkwall, it appears that she was a great-
grand -daughter of Harry Halcro, of that ilk, and Lady Bar-
bara Stewart, that Harry Halcro was a lineal descendant of
Halcro, Prince of Denmark; and that Lady Barbara was the
youngest daughter of Robert, Earl of Orkney, son of James V.
But Margaret Halcro possessed a far higher distinction than the
blood of nobles or kings can impart— sincere and decided piety.
The Certificate she received at the time of her leaving Orkney,
an exact copy of which has been found in one of Mr. Ralph Er-

1*

VI MEMOIR OF THE REV. EBEIVEZER ERSK1NE.

skine's manuscripts, is much to her credit.* Amidst the many
privations and distresses to which she and her large family, along
with her conscientious husband, were subjected, during the un-
happy reigns of Charles II. and his brother James II., she adorned
her profession by Christian magnanimity and patience. The
evening of her life was spent chiefly at Portmoak, where she ex-
perienced from Ebenezer and his amiable partner every kind at-
tention that could flow from the purest gratitude and the most
affectionate reverence. Having survived her husband nearly
thirty years, she died there with a hope "full of immortality,"
January 14th, 1725, in the seventy-eighth year of her age. Her
remains were deposited in the chapel ground of Scotlandwell, a
village in the parish of Portmoak, where a suitable Latin inscrip-
tion, somewhat defaced, is still to be seen on a stone, which her
sons Ebenezer and Ralph erected in memory of a valuable and
much loved mother.

Mr. Erskine of Chirnside, was twice married; and, by each of
his partners he had several children. To the first family belonged
Philip, who, having conformed to the Church of England, became
Rector of Knaresdale in the county of Northumberland: Also, a
daughter, who was born in the year 1653, gave her hand to a Mr.
Balderston of Edinburgh, and died at an advanced age, October
19th, 1738. The Rev. Mr. Boston makes frequent mention in
his Memoirs, of this Mrs. Balderston, as an eminent Christian and
esteemed friend, whose prayers on his behalf he particularly re-
quested. The eldest of the second family, (viz. Margaret Hal-
cro's,) of whom we have any account, was Henry, a student of
Medicine, who died at Chirnside, the 9th July, 1696, in the twen-
tieth year of his age, and exactly a month before his father.

EBENEZER ERSKINE, the proper subject of this Memoir,
was born on the 22nd of June, 1680, nearly five years before his
brother Ralph. The place of his birtli was probably Dryburgh;
where the part of the house which was occupied by his father and

* It is expressed in the following terms: —

« At the Kirk of Evie, May 27, 1666.
"To all and sundry into whose hands these presents shall come, be it
known that the bearer hereof, Margaret Halcro, lawful daughter to the de-
ceased Hugh Halcro, in the isle of Weir, and Margaret Stewart his spouse,
hath lived in the parish of Evie from her infancy, in good fame and report;
is a discreet, godly young woman, and, to our certain knowledge, free of all
scandal, reproach, or blame. As, also, that she is descended, of her father,
of the house of Halcro, which is a very ancient and honourable family in the
Orkneys — the noble and potent Earl of Early and Lairds of Dun in Angus;
and by her mother, of the Laird of Burscobe in Galloway. In witness where-
of, we, the Minister and Clerk, have subscribed these presents at Evie, day,
month, year of God, and place foresaid, and give way to all other noblemen,
gentlemen, and ministers, to do the same.

MR. MORISON, Minister of Evie,
GEORGE BALLENT1NK,
CSicsub&cribitur.J JAMES TRAIL,

WILLIAM BALLENDEN,

1666.

MEMOIR OF THE REV. EBENEZER ERSKINE. VH

family is said to be still industriously preserved by the present
Lord Buchan, as a relic and memorial of them. The name Ebe-
nezer is understood to have been given to him by his parents, in
testimony of their fervent gratitude to that God, whose goodness
and mercy had followed them amidst all their hardships and dif-
ficulties, and constrained them to set up a pillar of remembrance,
saying, "Hitherto hath the Lord helped us."

The particulars of Ebenezer's early life are now almost wholly
unknown. During his first sixteen years, he enjo}red the united
advantages of a father's guardianship and a mother's care; and by
the Divine blessing on parental instruction and example, he seems
to have devoted his youth to the fear and service of God. Having
learned the elements of literature at Chirnside, under the imme-
diate superintendence of his father, he prosecuted his studies at
the University of Edinburgh, where he received a regular educa-
tion for the sacred office. For some time, he was chaplain and
tutor in the house of the Earl of Rothes, at Leslie. Providence
having thus cast his lot within the bounds cf the Presbytery of
Kirkaldy, he applied to that Presbytery for license; and, accord-
ingly, after he had passed through the usual course of exercises
for trial, they licensed him to preach the gospel, probably in the
year 1702.

One considerable memorial of Ebenezer's youthful piety and
diligence is furnished by a large Note-book, written in the years
1699, 1700, 1701, 1702,— at this moment in our hands. It con-
tains " Some memorable passages in Church history," and copi-
ous extracts from various theological works he had been perusing;
as Charnock's Discourses, Ferguson on the Sufferings of Christ,
Wilkin's Gift of Prayer, Polhill's Speculum T/ieologias, and other
writers. A great part of the book too, is occupied by notes of
Sermons, which, during those years, he had heard delivered from
the pulpit by esteemed clergymen of that age, as the Rev. Messrs.
Alexander Cowper, James Webster, George Hamilton, John Mon-
criefF, John Shaw, George Gillespie, and others.

The excellent character and useful discourses of this young
Preacher soon recommended him to public notice. On the 26th
of May, 1703, he received a unanimous call to the parish of
Portmoak, to succeed the Rev. John Wilson, who had been trans-
lated to Kirkaldy: and having given ample satisfaction with re-
gard to his qualifications for the Christian ministry, he was or-
dained at Portmoak, in the month of September, that year, by
the same Presbytery to which he had formerly been indebted for
license.

Portmoak is a sequestered village, pleasantly situated at the
bottom of the west end of the Lomond-hills, and on the banks of
Loch Leven, — commanding a prospect of the whole lake, in-
cluding the Castle where the unfortunate Mary, Queen of Scots,
was confined. In this retired spot, Mr. Erskine entered on his
parochial duties with activity and zeal, and at the same time en-
joyed, at the commencement of his ministry, choice opportunities

Vlll MEMOIR OF THE REV. EBENEZER ERSKINE.

for devotion and mental improvement, which laid the foundation
of his future eminence and usefulness.

Anxious to acquire accurate and extensive views of the truth,
he spent a great proportion of his time in study, where he perused
with delight the oracles of God, and some of the best writers on
theology, as Turretine, Witsius, Owen, and others. He was not
insensible, at the same time, to the advantages that may be de-
rived from frequent and familiar conversation on religious topics,
with persons of intelligence and piety. For some time after his
ordination, his views of divine truth, it is said, in common with
those of a considerable number of pious ministers of the Church
of Scotland at that period, were not quite clear and correct, but
consisted of a confused mixture of legal and evangelical doctrine.
It pleased God, however, to give him more enlightened and sa-
tisfactory conceptions, and to bless, for that purpose, the inter-
views he had with his brother Ralph and others. Nay, according
to his own ingenuous acknowledgments to his children and friends,
he was more deeply indebted to no one, as an instrument of ena-
bling him to understand " the way of God more perfectly," than
to his partner, Alison Turpie, daughter of Mr. Alexander Tur-
pie, writer in Leven, Fifeshire, a young lady of engaging dispo-
sitions and undissembled piety, whom he married on the 2d of
February, 1704. A confidential conversation, which he acci-
dentally overheard between her and Ralph, on the subject of their
religious experience, is thought to have signally contributed to-
wards the happy change that took place in Ebenezer's sentiments
and impressions with relation to the gospel. Whilst they were
opening their minds to each other without reserve, in a bower in
his garden immediately beneath the window of his study, which
then happened to be open, he listened with great eagerness to
their interesting communications. Their views and feelings ap-
peared so different from his own, that he instantly felt himself
obliged to conclude that they possessed valuable attainments, to
which he was a stranger, and the impression seems to have re-
mained, till, with regard to vital and evangelical Christianity, he
became not merely almost, but altogether, such as they were.*

Mr. Erskine was not only a conscientious student, but a faith-
ful preacher of the gospel. Besides the usual services of the Sab-
bath, conformably to the practice of some of his brethren in those
days, he established a weekly lecture on the Thursday. In all
his discourses, particularly after undergoing that essential im-
provement in his views and experience, to which we have just
adverted, his constant object was to exhibit and recommend the
Redeemer in his person, offices, salvation, and grace, and to per-
suade his hearers to place their entire dependence upon Him, as
at once their "righteousness and strength." The advances he
was enabled to make in knowledge and in grace produced a hap-
py effect, even upon his manner of delivering his discourses.

* See the Memoir of Mr. Ebenezer Erskine, contained in Gospel Tktttii,
by the Rev. John Brown, of Whitburn.

MEMOIR OF THE REV. EBENEZER ERSKINE. IX

For a few years after the commencement of his ministry, he felt
considerable difficulty in public speaking, and was accustomed to
fix his eyes on a certain spot of the wall opposite to the pulpit,from
which he could not venture to; move them without the imminent
hazard of losing the command of his ideas. But, afterwards, he
became a most undaunted speaker, was fully master of his mind
and his voice, looked around on his audience with a dignified, yet
pleasant and engaging aspect, and commanded a deep and uni-
versal attention.

The large Note-book mentioned above, besides the materials
formerly specified, contains a Diary which Mr. Erskine began in
November, 1707, and continued for the space of about twenty
years. Owing, in a great degree, to the circumstance that it is
written in short-hand, according to a rude and antiquated system
of stenography, this treasure has long been neglected as a sealed
book. But the characters having been lately deciphered, it is
found to consist chiefly of a register of the Author's own varied
feelings and exercises as a Christian, including occasional notices
of the measure of liberty and success with which he was helped
to perform his official duties. The unhappy dulness of frame he
sometimes felt, gave occasron for humbling confessions of his own
unworthiness and weakness; but the freedom and boldness he
often experienced in the pulpit, with the salutary effects that the
precious doctrines of the gospel seemed to produce on himself and
his hearers, supplied matter of devout acknowledgments to that
God whom he served. To gratify the pious reader, it may be
proper to give the following specimen of these grateful reflections.
It was written on the evening of a Sabbath which had been com-
fortably spent, a few months after the death of Alison Turpie,
that excellent woman, whose character has just been noticed.

"Anno 1721, Jan. 1st, being Sabbath evening. — This day I
have been about my Master's work. I lectured on Canticles vi.
from verse 4th; ' Thou art beautiful, 0 my love, as Tirza, come-
ly as Jerusalem, and terrible as an army with banners.' I de-
signed to have insisted on some of the verses following, but this
one verse took up the whole of the time. And what the Lord
helped to say was sweet and savoury; particularly, in answering
these five questions from the latter part of the verse. 1st. Why
the Church of God is compared to an army? 2dly. Who is the
Captain-general of the army? 3dly. Who are the soldiers of
the army, and wherein lies their excellency? 4thly. What is
the banner, and why banriers in the plural? 5thly. What is it
that makes the Church of God terrible as an army with banners?

After lecture, I preached upon Isaiah xxvi. 19, particularly

on the middle part of the verse; ' Awake and sing, ye that dwell
in dust.' The doctrine I insisted on was, that the resurrection
of the saints will be a time of great joy and singing: Where I
took occasion to handle these three Questions. 1st. Who will be
the singers at that day? 2dly. What will be their songs? 3dly.
After what manner will they sing? The Lord made what was
delivered on these heads sweet. He helped to speak, and I hope

X MEMOIR OF THE REV. EBENEZER ERSKINE.

he refreshed my own soul, and the souls of many of my hearers.
In my first prayer at the beginning of the work of the day, con-
sidering that it was the first day of the year, I took occasion to
ask a new year's gift from the Lord; and I hope and desire to be-
lieve he has given it, not only by the assistance he gave in public
in delivering his messages: But this evening, when alone, I was be-
ginning to turn a little melancholy at the thoughts of the want of a
dear wife; but, oh ! the Lord turned my heart and thoughts towards
himself, and begat in me a desire and longing for himself and the
enjoyment of him in heaven; so that I was made to conclude and
say, I cannot think but my treasure is in heaven, since my heart
is there; for Christ himself, the faithful witness, says that where
the treasure is, there will the heart be also; and he is my witness,
that my principal desire is in heaven. O, whom have I in hea-
ven but Him, and there is none in all the earth that I desire be-
sides him. O, the Lord be thanked for this new year's day, and
new year's visit."

While Mr. Erskine served God with his spirit in the pulpit, he
was equally attentive to the other duties of the ministry, as pub-
lic catechising, ministerial visitation^" families, and visiting the
sick. In catechising, he often exammed his hearers on the sub-
jects of his public discourses; that the truth, thus repeatedly
■brought forward, might make the more lasting impressions on
their memories and hearts. In the visitation of families, he dis-
covered much gravity and dignity, mingled with ardent love to
the souls of his people. His general demeanour, though prudent
and becoming, was by no means forbidding and austere. On the
contrary, when walking for necessary recreation through the
bounds of his parish, he often made short friendly calls at the
houses of his parishioners; expressed his happiness at finding
them well; partook, without ceremony, as circumstances direct-
ed, of a homely repast; and recommended religion by his lively
and entertaining, as well as instructive conversation. But when
he made a ministerial visit, he thought it right to lay aside, in
some degree, his usual vivacity, and to guard against those inno-
cent pleasantries which at other times he was apt to indulge.
Assuming all that solemnity of appearance and deportment which
distinguished him on the most sacred occasions, he generally in-
troduced himself with the words which our Lord required his dis-
ciples to use when they entered any habitation: "Peace be to
this house." He commonly proposed a few practical questions
to each adult, then examined and encouraged the children, and
after a pertinent word of exhortation, he concluded with a very
particular and affectionate prayer.

Visiting the sick was another exercise in which he discovered
the same gravity, wisdom, and affection. He stood prepared
alike to sound a necessary alarm in the ears of the thoughtless
sinner overtaken by affliction, and to speak words in season for
the consolation of the dejected Christian. The following anec-
dote has been considered worthy of remembrance. When visiting
Ann Meiglo, a poor but godly woman, she thus addressed him:

MEMOIR OF THE REV. EBENEZER ERSKItfE. xi

" 0 sir, I am just lying here, a poor useless1 creature." " Think
you so?" was his reply. " I thinly"' added she, " what is true,
sir, that if I were away to heaven,1*! would be of some use to
glorify God without sin." " I#rfeed, Ann," the good man kindly
answered, "I think you are glonfying God here, by your resigna-
tion and submission to his wiM; and that in the face of many dif-
ficulties, and under many distresses. In heaven, the saints have
not your burdens to groan under: your praise, burdened as you
are, is more wonderful to me, and, I hope, acceptable to God."

Aware of the vast importance of early impressions, Ebenezer
was at great pains in promoting the spiritual welfare of the young.
Not satisfied with addressing them particularly in the houses of
their parents in the usual course of visitation, he superintended
their moral and religious instruction in the parish school.' It was
his general practice to visit the school on Saturday: and after ex-
amining the scholars he exhorted and prayed with them. In-
stead of going himself to the school, he sometimes invited the
children to come to him in the manse; and with this invitation
they gladly complied, knowing that the minister never conversed
with them on serious subj^ts with more endearing familiarity,
or exhorted them to chooW the paths of wisdom in more ani-
mating terms than,,when he met them in his own house. His
benevolent attentions to the best interests of the rising generation
were happily seconded by the labours of excellent teachers; while
his endeavours to^peserve order and decorum in the parish were
powerfully aided by the ptous vigilance and prudent activity of
a considerable number of ruling elders.

Another means which Mr. Erskine employed for promoting re-
ligion in his parish was the establishment of praying societies. In
the j-ear 1714 he composed a set of rules for their direction,
which all the members were expected to subscribe; and he con-
tinued to assist and cheer them by his presence from month to
month, as often as his other avocations would permit.

This faithful minister of Christ did not labour in vain. He
was mightily encouraged by perceiving the value that was put
upon his services, and the success with which they were crowned.
Not only was the place of worship crowded on the Lord's day,
but the Thursday lecture was well attended. Even at diets of
examination, a large audience was generally present. The sub-
stance of his discourses was committed to writing by a number
of his hearers, some of whom were accustomed to refresh the
memories of their relatives and neighbours by reading to them,
on the Sabbath evening, the notes which they had taken during
the day. The people distinguished themselves at once by a thirst
for knowledge, by a spirit of devotion, and by the propriety of
their general conduct. During the time of public prayer and
praise, the hearts of the worshippers seemed deeply engaged. It
was Mr. Erskine's practice, often to close the public services of
the Sabbath, by singing the concluding verses of the seventy-se-
cond Psalm. And "O," added a pious eye and ear-witness,
when relating this circumstance, " with what rapture was it sung!

Xii MEMOIR OF THE REV. EBENEZER ERSKINE.

Never can I hear such delightful melody till I get to heaven."
Mr. Erskine's labours, in short, were so happily successful, that
the parish of Portmoak became " like a field which the Lord hath
blessed." The exemplary livesHfcd triumphant deaths, of not a
few of its inhabitants gave evidence that the good seed he was
enabled to sow was watered by the dews of heaven. Nor was
the rich increase confined to the period of his ministry amongst
them. It may be affirmed, without flattery, that to this day, the
people of that parish, generally speaking, are superior to many,
with regard to their attainments in Christian knowledge, and
their marked veneration for godliness and honesty; and that, in
all probability, the salutary fruits of Mr. Erskine's ministry will
continue for several generations to come.

The benefit of this good man's labours was not limited to those
that were privileged with his immediate pastoral inspection. The
celebrity of his character, as a faithful preacher and a valiant de-
fender of the truth, allured many serious Christians from other
parishes, and even from places at the distance of sixty or seventy
miles, to attend the administration of the Lord's Supper at Port-
moak. So great was the concourse oX hearers, that it was often
necessary to form two separate assenrolies in the open air, in ad-
dition to the one which met in the church; and so remarkable
was the success attending the word, that many, on their death-
beds, spoke of the hills of Portmoak as Bethels, where God Al-
mighty had favoured them with saving manifestations of his glory
and love. On sacramental occasions, too, in other parishes, in
various districts of the country, Mr. Erskine's services were un-
commonly acceptable; and accompanied with an abundant bless-
ing. The clergymen with whom he corresponded on such occa-
sions were men distinguished alike for soundness of principle and
holiness of practice. Such were his esteemed neighbours, the
Rev. Messrs. Wardrope of Ballingray, Gibb of Cleish, M'Gill of
Kinross, Bathgate of Orwell, Shaw of Leslie, Currie of Kinglas-
sie, Gillespie of Strafhmiglo, Hogg of Carnock, and Ralph Er-
skine, his brother, of Dunfermline. Among his correspondents
at a greater distance, were Messrs. William Moncrieff of Largo,
Pitcairn of Dysart, Kidd of Queensferry, James Webster of Edin-
burg, and John Williamson of Inveresk.

It must now also be stated, that after Mr. Erskine had laboured
at Portmoak with great pleasure and success for many years, it
seemed good to an all-wise Providence to transfer him to a wider
and more conspicuous sphere. Several attempts to remove him
had proved abortive. After the death of Mr. M'Gill, he received,
in the year 1728, a unanimous and urgent call to Kinross. Soon
after, he was called, with equal unanimity and earnestness, to
the populous parish of Kirkaldy. But, in both instances, the ac-
tive and affectionate efforts of the people of Portmoak to retain
him, and his own strong attachment to them, prevented the de-
sired translation. But a third minister being wanted at Stirling,
the Rev. Alexander Hamilton and the whole population of that
town and parish turned their eyes to Mr. Erskine, and gave him

MEMOIR OF THE REV. EBENEZER ERSKINE. xiii

a pressing and unanimous call; of which, after maturely weighing
all circumstances, he judged it his duty to accept. His transla-
tion, in consequence, took place, at the beginning of autumn,
1731. His farewell sermon, at Portmoak, was preached from
Acts xx. 22: " And now, behold, I go bound in the spirit unto
Jerusalem, not knowing the things that shall befall me there."
"This was a sorrowful day," says a respectable native of that
parish, " both to him and his people. The retrospect of twenty-
eight years of great felicity which were for ever gone, and the
uncertainty of what might follow, bathed their faces with tears,
and awoke the voice of mourning and wo throughout the congre-
gation, for the loss of a pastor, the constant object of whose mi-
nistry was to recommend to their souls the exalted Redeemer in
his person, offices, and grace, — who had laboured to rouse the in-
considerate to repentance and serious concern; and who had not
failed, when religious impressions took place, to preserve and
promote them with unwearied diligence. They had always found
in him the affection of a father, and brother, and friend. Even
when he administered the merited reproof, or sounded the neces-
sary alarm, they knew it flowed from an affectionate heart, which,
while lamenting their sins, loved their precious souls. So much
was the minister himself affected, that it was with much difficulty
he could proceed till he reached the end of the doctrinal part of
his discourse, when he was obliged to pause; and, overcome with
grief, concluded abruptly, saying, "My friends, 1 find that nei-
ther you nor I can bear the application of this subject."*

Notwithstanding the dissolution of the pastoral relation betwixt
this valuable minister and the worthy people of Portmoak, they
still cherished for each other a warm affection. One or two in-
dividuals removed with him to Stilling; all of them continued to
regard him with sincere veneration. Nor did he fail to recipro-
cate their kindness. When any of them had occasion to take a
journey to Stirling, he received them with great cordiality, and
gave them pious and animating counsels; and as often as he could
make it convenient, he repeated his longed-for visits to Port-
moak, and refreshed his old friends and parishioners, by his evan-
gelical discourses and kind attentions.

In the new and important sphere of ministerial exertion which
he now occupied, he did not disappoint the high expectations
formed by the inhabitants of Stirling. In performing the public

• This passage is extracted from an account of Ebenezer Erskine in manu-
script, written by Mr. J B , Portmoak. The writer of this Memoir

cheerfully embraces the present opportunity of renewing1 his grateful ac-
knowledgments to that gentleman, for the assistance he has received from
his valuable manuscript. A few years ago, he took the liberty to bring for-
ward nearly all its materials in the ample details respecting Mr. Erskine
which appeared in different numbers of the Christian Repository, Vols. 3d,
4th, and 5th. In drawing up the present concise Memoir, he has not scru-
pled to avail himself of his own former labours for that Miscellany; while
some interesting particulars subsequently derived from various sources are
now added.

VOL. I. 2

Xiv MEMOIR OF THE REV. EBENEZER ERSKINE.

and private duties of his office, he maintained the same zeal and
assiduity which he had discovered at Portmoak. His ministra-
tions were eminently popular and useful. Soon after his admis-
sion, he preached a course of sermons on Christ as the Founda-
tion laid in Zion, (Isa. xxviii. 16;) which, by the blessing of
Heaven, proved the means of conversion and edification to many.
The Memoirs of a Teacher of youth, noted for intelligence and
piety, supply one of the numerous instances of the happy effects
arising from his labours. "I went for ordinary," says Mr. Ar-
chibald, " to Stirling, where the gospel was preached in great
purity and simplicity by Mr. Ebene/.er Erskine; which tended
much to acquaint me with, and establish me in, 'the faith once
delivered to the saints.' " *

It was shortly after Mr. Erskihe's translation to Stirling that
the Secession commenced; and the conspicuous part he acted
with regard to that important event seems now to demand our
attention. It will be proper, however, to begin by adverting to
that noble fortitude in the cause of truth which he evinced in
some public appearances, occasioned by certain ecclesiastical
proceedings, that paved the way for ultimate withdiawment from
the judicatories of the established Church.

We allude, in particular, to his bold and decided exertions in
favour of the doctrines of grace, during the memorable contro-
versy relative to the book entitled The Marrow of Modem Di-
vinity. For a considerable time prior to the act of the General
Assembly condemning that book, he had cordially embraced and
faithfully preached the pure gospel of the grace of God. With
unfeigned concern he found several brethren of the Synod of
Fife teaching what is styled Neonomian doctrine; and in oppo-
sition to that dangerous, though specious and palatable scheme,
he uniformly held that Christ and his blessings are freely and
unconditionally exhibited to sinners in the gospel; that the ever-
lasting righteousness of the Son of God is the only ground of jus-
tification; and that ministers should ''beware of every thing that
has the least tendency to foster a sinner in his hope of salvation
by the works of the law." Entertaining these evangelical senti-
ments, he deeply regretted the condemnatory Act referred to,
and was fully prepared to co operate with Messrs. James Hogg
of Carnock, Thomas Boston of Etteiick,and other zealous friends
of the gospel, in measures calculated to procure its repeal, or, at
least to vindicate those precious truths, which, in their apprehen-
sion, it had grievously injured. The Representation and Petition
on this subject, presented to the Assembly May 11th, 1721, though
originally composed by Mr. Boston, was revised and perfected by
Mr. Erskine. He was employed also to prepare the first draft
of the "Answers to the Twelve Queries," afterwards enlarged
and improved by the Rev. Gabriel Wilson of Maxton — a masterly
production, which has undergone many impressions, and which

* See a small book, lately republished, entitled, " The Experience of
Alexander Archibald. "

MEMOIR OF THE REV. EBENEZER ERSKINE. XV

discusses the points at issue with a perspicuity and energy, that
have commanded the admiration of the celebrated Mr. fiervey,
and others, who had no immediate concern in the contest. Ebe-
nezer, too, defended the conduct of the representing brethren in
an able and respectful letter, addressed to a neighbouring cler-
gyman.*

The Assembly, aware of the general offence which their vio-
lent condemnation of the Marrow had given, and influenced, per-
haps, by the clear and forcible answers returned to the twelve
queries, which, in ludicrous allusion to the number of the twelve
Representee they had thought proper to propose, were pleased,
May 21st, 1722, to pass a large explanatory Act relating to the
Marrow, expressed in more moderate terms than the former.
Even this new act, however, contained several positions contrary
to sound doctrine; it confirmed instead of rescinding the act
complained of; and the twelve brethren, instead of receiving the
thanks of the Assembly for their seasonable remonstrance, were
solemnly rebuked and admonished. Besides, they were reviled
in various publications, as men of wild and Antinomian princi-
ples,— innovators in religion, who published tenets opposite to the
Confession of Faith and Catechisms, — enemies to Christian mo-
rality,— troublers of Israel, puffed up with vanity and arrogance,
and anxious to exalt themselves at the expense of their brethren.
Similar reproaches were often cast on them by the dominant
clergy of that age from the pulpit, particularly in sermons preached
at the opening of .Synods. Their submission, in fine, to the acts
of Assembly respecting the Marrow, was urged with rigour;
and in several instances, ill-founded complaints against their
public discourses were presented before the church courts.

Owing; to the vehemence of Principal Haddow of St. Andrews,
who took the lead in impugning the Marrow, the five represent-
ing brethren of the Synod of Fife, viz. Messrs. Ebenezer Er-
skine, Hogg, Bathgate, with Ralph Erskine and James Wardlaw
of Dunfermline, were treated with the most marked severity. At
several meetings of Synod they were denounced as transgres-
sors, and questioned in the most rigorous and inquisitorial man-
ner. Strenuous efforts were employed to induce them to sub-
scribe anew the Confession of Faith, not merely as received by
the Church of Scotland, 1647, but as explained by the condemna-
tory act of 1722 — a proposal which they unanimously and justly
rejected. t At a meeting of the Synod of Fife in September,
1721, some of Ebenezer's discourses were judicially complained
of. In May, 1725, he was even publicly arraigned before the
Commission of the General Assembly, by the Rev. Andrew An-
derson, one of the ministers of St. Andrews, whom he had once
numbered amongst his intimate friends. The complaints referred
to no less than seven of his sermons, viz. those from 2 Chron. xx.

* This letter has been published in the Christian Magazine, Vol. xiii. pp.
376—381.

■j- See Appendix to " Faith no Fancy," by the Rev. Ralph Erskine, p. 31,
32. Ed. 1745.

XVI MEMOIR OF THE REV. EBENEZER ERSKINE.

20; Psalm lxxxix. 16; cxxxviii. 6; Luke ii. 28; John vi. 66; Tit.
iii. 8; Rev. iii. 4. Mr. Erskine was accused in his absence, and
ten years had elapsed between the delivery of some of these ob-
noxious discourses, and the time when the accusations were
preferred.

Under all these teasing circumstances, he was helped to dis-
cover an invincible zeal for what he prized as divine and impor-
tant truth, blended with Christian meekness and candour. He
was accustomed to speak of the Act 1720 as an oversight. Not-
withstanding the protest which he and his brethren had taken, he
forbore publicly recommending the book condemned by the As-
sembly; and even when he spoke favourably of it in private, he
qualified his eulogy, by telling the people that it contained some
unguarded expressions. Towards those clergymen, too, from
whom he had experienced the most injurious and illiberal treat-
ment, he manifested a gentle and forgiving spirit. Nevertheless,
as appears from many passages of his writings, or rather from
their whole spirit and scope, his attachment to the leading doc-
trines of the Marrow remained unshaken. On some occasions,
too, expressions fell from his lips, that for a time at least over-
awed and confounded his opposers. Thus at a meeting of Synod
at Cupar in Fife, when some members had openly denied the Fa-
ther's gift of Christ to sinners of mankind, he rose and said;
"Moderator, our Lord Jesus says of himself, ' My Father giveth
you the true bread from heaven.' This he uttered to a promis-
cuous multitude; and let me see the man who dares to affirm
that he said wrong." This short speech, aided by the dignity
and energy with which it was delivered, made an uncommon im-
pression on the Synod, and on all that were present.

With regard to the charges preferred against his discourses
by Mr. Anderson, whilst he disavowed such expressions as were
falsely or erroneously imputed to him, he never shrunk from at-
testing and maintaining those scriptural sentiments which he had
really uttered. For his own vindication, too, he published the
sermons objected to; and in prefaces prefixed to the first editions,
he refuted the censures of his accusers. The wisdom of Provi-
dence strikingly appears in thus rendering those very imputa-
tions, which wore so dark and ruinous an aspect towards Mr.
Erskine, the occasion of increasing his celebrity, and extending
his usefulness. To this providential arrangement, he himself
devoutly adverts in the following terms: "It is very probable,
that this," viz. the Sermon on Rev. iii. 4, "and some other ser-
mons now designed for the press, had slept in perpetual silence
among my short-hand manuscripts, if holy and wise Providence,
which overrules us in our designs and inclinations, had not in a
manner forced me to yield to their publication, for my own ne-
cessary defence; when the earnest entreaty of some, dear to the
Lord, could not prevail with me to fall in with any such propo-
sal."*

* Whoever wishes to be thoroughly acquainted with the controversy re-
lating to the Marrow, would do well to peruse Mr. Brown's Gospel Truth

MEMOIR OF THE REV. EBENEZER ERSKINE. XV11

The same undaunted courage in defending the truth by which
the subject of this Memoir signalized himself during the agitation
of the controversy regarding the Marrow, was manifested on oc-
casion of the process instituted against the Rev. John Simpson,
Professor of Divinity in the University of Glasgow, for denying
the necessary existence and supreme divinity of the Son of God.
It was in the year 1729, that the General Assembly, after a dis-
cussion of eight days, came to a final decision, in that interesting
cause. Although a sentence of deposition was generally expect-
ed, and had been urged by the greater number of presbyteries,
the Professor was not deposed, but merely suspended from the
discharge of his office. Mr. Erskine was not a member of As-
sembly that year, but expressed his cordial approbation of the
dissent from that unduly lenient decision, which Mr. Boston
with singular intrepidity declared. He only regretted that his
learned and godly friend did not insist on his dissent and protest
being entered on the records of the court, for the honour of Christ
and the instruction of posterity. Several years before the mat-
ter was brought to this termination, he composed an excellent pa-
per, entitled, " A Testimony to the true Deity of the Son of God,
by the Session of Portmoak, to be laid before the Presbytery, for
transmission to the General Assembly." In his public discourses,
in fine, he deemed it his duty to give solemn and repeated warn-
ings to his hearers, to beware lest any man rob them of this mo-
mentous doctrine of revealed religion. One of these warnings
occurs, for example, in the Sermon from Exod. xx. 2.

Mr. Erskine was distinguished by generous and active zeal as
well for the rights and liberties of the Christian people, as for
the purity and simplicity of evangelical doctrine. Every one ac-
quainted with the ecclesiastical history of Scotland is aware, that
the Secession, in which he took the lead, was occasioned no less
by measures hostile to religious liberty, than by the opposition
made, or indifference shown, to the peculiar doctrines of the gos-
pel. But fully to state the grounds of the Secession, or minutely
to detail the various circumstances which issued in his complete
separation from the national establishment, and in the regular
organization of the Secession Church, would not suit the limits
of this Memoir; nor is such a statement or detail necessary. The
revival of patronage by Queen Anne's ministry in 1712; the ri-
gour with which that act was, in different instances, enforced;
the contempt thrown by the Assembly in 1732, on one Petition
subscribed by forty-two ministers, and on another subscribed by
many hundreds of elders and people, who united in humbly re-
presenting the growing defections of the Church, and earnestly
soliciting redress; the act of the same Assembly decreeing that,
where an accepted presentation did not take place, the decisive
power of electing ministers for the supply of vacant congregations
is competent only to a conjunct meeting of heritors and elders,

accurately stated and defended, &c. The- Marrow of Modern Divinity it-
self, with Boston's judicious Notes, ought also to be carefully read.

2*

XVU1 MEMOIR OF THE REV. EBENEZER ERSKINE.

no other qualification of those heritors being required but that
they be Protestants; the remonstrances of Mr. E. Erskine in his
celebrated sermon from Psalm cxviii. 22; preached at Perth, Oc-
tober 10th, 1732, at the opening of the Synod of Perth and Stir-
ling; the accusations preferred against him for those bold remon-
strances by the Rev. Mr. Mercer, of Aberfalgie, and others, with
the act of Synod finding him censurable; his protest and appeal,
and consequent appearance before the Assembly in 1733, by
whom he was rebuked; his protest against the decision of the
General Assembly, to which the Rev. William Wilson, of Perth,
Alexander Moncrieft", of Abernethy, and James Fisher, then of
Kinclaven, gave in a written adherence; the suspension of the
four brethren by the Commission of Assembly in August follow-
ing, notwithstanding numerous petitions in their favour; the still
severer measures adopted by the Commission at their meeting in
November the same year, when, by the casting vote of Mr. John
Goldie, the Moderator, it was carried, that they should proceed
immediately to inflict a higher censure, and it was consequently
decreed by a great majority, to "loose the relation of the said
four ministers to their respective charges, and declare them no
longer ministers of this church;" the meeting of these four ex-
communicated brethren, December 25th, 1733, at the bridge of
Gairney near Kinross, where they resolved to constitute them-
selves into a Presbytery, and " Mr. Ebenezer Erskine was, with
their unanimous consent, desired to be their mouth to the Lord
in this solemn action, and was enabled, with much enlargement
of soul, to consecrate and dedicate them to the Lord, and to the
service of his church;"* the conciliatory methods to which the
Assembly 1734 had recourse; the resolution of the brethren not
to accede to the national church at that time, being convinced
that the ends of their separation were not yet gained; the libel,
consisting of ten articles, with which they were served by the
Assembly 1738; the determination of the Seceding ministers al-
together to decline the jurisdiction of the ecclesiastical courts;
their formal deposition by the Assembly, May 15th, 1740; — these
and other occurrences relative to the origin and progress of the
Associate body, are narrated in different publications, to which
the curious reader may have easy access, t

It may be right, however, to contemplate Mr. Erskine's cha-
racter, as it is affected by his attitude and behaviour as the stand-
ard-bearer of the Secession. How fairhis reputation asa Chris-
tian, a minister, and a member of society, stood in the eyes of
those who had the best opportunities of knowing him, when he
commenced his career in that capacity, will clearly appeal' from
the following quotations taken from tlie petitions on Ids behalf,

* The Rev. William Wilson's Continuation of the Defence of Reformation
Principles, pp. 152, 153.

■j- See the Re-exhibition of the Testimony; Brown's History of the Seces-
sion; J affray of Kilmarnock's excellent "Essay on the Reasons of Secession
from the National Church of Scotland;" and the Encyclajjsedia Britanniea,
Art. Seceder.

MEMOIR OF THE REV. EBENEZER ERSKINE. XIX

transmitted from Stilling, where he then exercised his ministry.
The Presbytery of Stirling assure the Commission, "that Mr.
Erskine's character is so established in that part of the church,
that the authority of the Assembly condemning cannot lessen it,
and that in the" present case, such condemnation will tend to
heighten it." " We beg leave to observe," say the Kirk session
of Stirling, " that having had a trial of Mr. Erskine's ministerial
gifts and labours these two years bygone, we cannot but own, ac-
cording to our discerning and experience, his Lord and Master
hath endowed him with a very edifying gift of teaching and
preaching the gospel, and many other good qualifications, every
way fitting him for the office of the ministry, and particularly in
this city and congregation; which, together v\ith the great pains
he has taken in the other parts of his ministerial labours, and we
hope not without success, and all attended with a very tender
walk, wise and prudent behaviour, have made him most accepta-
ble to us, and persons of all distinctions in this place." In fine,
the Magistrates and town-Council of that place inform the Com-
mission, "That after two full years' acquaintance with Mr. Er-
skine, they find him to be a man of a peaceable disposition, of a
religious walk and conversation, to be every way fitted and quali-
fied for discharging the work of the ministry among them, and
that he lias discharged the same to their great satisfaction." They
conclude with deprecating the suspension of Mr. Erskine, as a
measure calculated only to " alienate our people's hearts from
the Assembly."

This venerable man has been severely censured for declaiming
in public discourses against those proceedings ot the church courts
which met his disapprobation. Candour and impartiality, how-
ever, require us to observe, that in resorting to that method of
resisting error and vindicating truth, he and his associates were
by no means singular. The Rev. Messrs. Currie of Kinglassie,
Willison of Dundee, Bisset of Aberdeen, and several others who
never joined the Secession, were accustomed to take the same
liberties. It is but fair also to hear and consider the reasons as-
signed by himself, for this part of his conduct, as the Preface to
his Sermon at Perth, which gave occasion to his prosecution, and
which he deemed it requisite to publish soon after it was preach-
ed. " If any think," says he, "upon the reading of the follow-
ing discourse, that there is too great freedom used with respect
to the present steps of defection, let it be remembered, that there
is now no other way left to* bear testimony against such things,
but by warning the world against them from press or pulpit; re-
presentations and petitions from ministers or church members at
the bar being utterly disregarded, and no access to enter any
protest or dissent against those proceedings in the public records,
for the exoneration of conscience, or the information of our pos-
terity that such things did not pass in our day without a struggle
and testimony against them."

With unfeigned regret we observe, that a highly respectable
clergyman, and one who for many years has been considered as

XX MEMOIR OF THE REV. EBENEZER ERSKINE.

at the head of the more evangelical class in the Church of Scot-
land, discovers in a late publication* a pretty strong propensity
to disparage the memory of men who nobly contended for the
liberties of the Christian people. It is impossible, within the
bounds of this Memoir, to advert to the various harsh expressions
and inaccurate statements of the Reverend Baronet, f We must
remark, however, that he speaks of the offence taken by "the
popular demagogues among the clergy" at the act of Assembly
1732, relative to the settlement of churches; and if we mistake
not, appears to insinuate, that the Secession is to be attributed
merely to the keen feelings of Ebenezer Erskine and his associ-
ates, irritated by the precipitant measures of the ecclesiastical
courts. The treatment they met with from the leaders of the
moderate party, was indeed, in many instances, confessedly rigo-
rous, unjust, and oppressive. Hail they not felt it keenly, they
must have been utterly void of the common sensibility of men;
and had no portion of human irritation ever mingled itself with
their pious zeal for the glory of God and the best interests of the
church, they must have reached a height of angelical perfection,
seldom if ever attained in this mortal state. But if, as the same
writer is pleased to admit, " the ministers of the Secession were
men of worth and principle,":): neither resentment of injuries and
indignities, however great, nor that mean ambition and contempt-
ible vanity which characterize "the popular demagogue," was
the motive, certainly not the leading motive, or chief spring, of
their conduct, in stating; and maintaining; a secession from the
judicatories ol the Church of Scotland. " Worth and principle,"
would have subdued the workings of resentment, and repressed
the suggestions of ambition and vanity. But convinced as they
were, after repeated and calm investigation, mutual conference,
and earnest prayer for direction to the Father of lights, that to
withdraw from the established judicatories was their incumbent
duty, " worth and principle," induced them to "go forth unto
Jesus without the camp, bearing his reproach." Actuated by
pure and honourable views, they chose rather to sacrifice strong
prepossessions in favour of a mother-church, to forego the endear-
ments of early friendship, to abandon comfortable benefices se-
cured by the state, and to expose their reputation to torrents of
obloquy, than to neglect what appeared to them an important and
necessary service to the cause of God and truth.

When the Commission of Assembly passed sentence against
the four Brethren in November, 1733, they solemnly protested,
" that their office and relation to their people should be held as
valid as if no such sentence had been passed." In conformity
with this protest, Mr. Erskine continued to officiate, it appears,

* See Sir Henry Moncrieff's "Account of the Life and AVritings of Dr.
Erskine," particularly the Appendix, p. 444, &c.

f See a short refutation of his charge against the seceding brethren, of
inconsistency with regard to the rights of the people, in a note on the Me-
moir of the Rev. Ralph Erskine, Ch. Monitor, Vol. iv. p. 715, &c.

* Account of Dr. Erskine, p. 97.

MEMOIR OF THE REV. EBENEZER ERSKINE. XXI

in his own parish church at Stirling till May, 1740. But on the
first Sabbath alter the sentence of deposition was pronounced by
the Assembly at that date, he peaceably retired with the congre-
gation to a convenient spot in the open air, where he conducted,
as usual, the public services of the day. Satisfied with regard
to the rectitude of his conduct, his people almost universally
concurred with him in separation from the established judica-
tories. With all due speed, too, they built for him a very
spacious meetin«-house, which was numerously attended, not
only by the inhabitants of Stirling, but by serious Christians from
the surrounding towns and villages, to the distance of more than
ten miles; and in which he continued to preach the unsearchable
riches of Christ, with delight and with success, whilst life and
health were spared.

He considered it a most gratifying circumstance, that his ve-
nerable colleague, the Rev. Alexander Hamilton, during the short
time he lived after the rise of the Secession, never ceased to show
to him and the Associate Presbytery the warmest regard, and
was accustomed to pray publicly for them. The general prosper-
ity of the cause in which he had t;iken so deep an interest and
acted so prominent a part, afforded to Mr. Erskine abundant mat-
ter of gratitude and joy. Beside the three brethren who asso-
ciated with him at the first, he was soon joined by other four mi-
nisters of the established church, including his beloved brother
Ralph. A number of promising candidates for the ministry, who
had finished or nearly finished their academical course, were li-
censed to preach the gospel. The Rev. Mr. Wilson of Perth,
that singularly pious and intelligent man, was prevailed with to
undertake the tuition of students in divinity. Multitudes in va-
rious parts of the country, availed themselves of the relief which
the Secession afforded from the yoke of patronage, and listened
to the pure doctrines of the cross with every appearance of seri-
ous attention, and spiritual benefit. In most of the principal
towns in the Lowlands of Scotland, as well as in several less po-
pulous places, congregations were formed, and supplied with
evangelical and faithful pastors. Amongst others, a large com-
munity was collected in Glasgow, which gave a most harmonious
call to the esteemed friend and son-in-law of Mr. Erskine, the
Rev. James Fisher; who was consequently translated from Kin-
claven to that city, and admitted October 8lh, 1741.

The Associate Presbytery, prompted by the hope of uniting
the friends of truth, having determined to revive the practice of
public covenanting, this solemn service appears to have com-
menced at Stirling, December 28th, 1743. From the sermon
preached by Mr. Erskine on that occasion, it is obvious that the
measure received his cordial approbation. Human nature is
prone to extremes. The sincerest admirers of the Fathers of the
Secession wili admit, that in some instances their zeal was car-
ried to excess. There is reason to believe that Mr. Erskine
lived to regret the strictness with which covenanting was incul-

XX11 MEMOIK OF THE REV. EBENEZER ERSKINE.

cated by his Presbytery.* Nor are we to imagine that he and his
brethren, though heartily attached to the doctrines of the Refor-
mation, and to presbyterial government and discipline, at any
time approved of every part of the public conduct of the original
covenanters. Their private letters and public deeds give evi-
dence, that, in their apprehension, " the civil constitution was too
much blended with the affairs of Christ's kingdom; and that
forcing people was not the way to make proselytes to Christ, the
weapons of whose kingdom are not carnal, but spiritual."

When the Associate Presbytery had become a Synod consist-
ing of three Presbyteries, and when the work of God seemed to
prosper in their hand, a difference of sentiment most unhappily
arose among them with regard to the true meaning of the religious
clause in the Burgess oath, then required in several cities and
towns of Scotland; and "so sharp was the contention" which
ensued, that in April, 1747, an entire separation took place be-
tween the contending parties. It is right to state, that Mr. Er-
skine, as well as his brother Ralph, was one of them who consi-
dered the swearing of the Burgess oath as not at all inconsistent
with the profession of a Seceder, and who, therefore, wished it
to be made a matter of forbearance; and that, amidst the grief
and vexation he felt on this mournful occasion, he exercised, in
general, his usual meekness, combined with decision. As an in-
dividual, he published nothing on the subject, except a short
tract consisting of sixteen pages, written with admirable temper.
There is no pleasure, however, in alluding to the circumstances
of that lamentable breach. The same Providence by which it was
permitted, no doubt overruled it for wise and salutary purposes;
and after the separation had lasted for more than seventy years,
God was pleased to pour out the Spirit of peace and love on the
ministers and members of the two great branches of the Seces-
sion, and to accomplish the happy reunion, consummated in Sep-
tember 8th, 1820. The United Associate Synod includes, at
the present moment, nearly three hundred ministers, and has un-
der its inspection a highly respectable proportion, if not of the
most opulent, yet of the most intelligent, industrious, and virtu-
ous part of the inhabitants of Scotland. Notwithstanding the
divisions which have taken place among Seceders, and notwith-
standing their other faults and imperfections, as societies and
individuals, no well informed and candid person of any persua-
sion will refuse to admit, that the Secession has been rendered,
in an eminent degree, subservient to the interests of religious
liberty, evangelical truth, and vital godliness. In addition to
the good which it is directly the means of achieving, it has been,
without doubt, indirectly beneficial, to a considerable extent, in

* It is to be regretted, that our Biographer has asserted so important a change in the
Author's sentiments, without giving the reader some evidence of it. Such fickleness ill
accords with the discrimination and judgment of Mr. Erskine. He undoubtedly lamented
his imperfections in the performance of covenanting, as well as other duties ; but, the
leader, on a careful examination of his writings, will have " reason to believe," that his
attachment to the scriptural, but despised doctrine of public covenanting, continued un-
abated.—Ed.

MEMOIR OF THE REV. EBENEZER ERSKINE. XX111

checking the progress of defection, and in provoking to jealousy
clergymen and others, that have chosen to remain within the pale
of the national establishment. May the exalted Redeemer visit
all the churches with the reviving influences of his Holy Spirit,
and accelerate that blessed period, when every cause of division
shall cease, when the truth and peace shall be ardently and uni-
versally loved, and all Christians delight to dwell together in
unity, "that with one mind and one mouth they may glorify
God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ."

Mr. Moncrieff of Abernethy, who succeeded Mr. Wilson of
Perth, in the theological chair, having taken part with those who
utterly condemned the religious clause in the Burgess oath, Mr.
Erskine was appointed Professor of divinity by the Synod to
which he adhered. The late Rev. William M'Evven of Dundee,
and John Brown of Haddington, commenced their theological
studies under his tuition. But, how well qualified soever he was,
in other respecls, for this important charge, his increasing infir-
mities obliged him to resign it within little more than a twelve-
month after he had undertaken the office.

In a private as well as a public capacity, Mr. Erskine experi-
enced great variety of lot. Having lost his first and highly va-
lued partner on the 31st of August, 1720, he was united, after
the lapse of more than three years, with Miss Mary Webster, the
daughter, as himself records it in his Diary, " of that worthy
champion for the truth and cause of Christ, Mr. James Web-
ster." She lived with him till March 15th, 1751, when he be-
came a widower a second time. His first wife was the mother of
ten children, of whom three sons and a daughter died in child -
hood j and the other six, two sons and four daughters, reached
maturity. His son Ebenezer died abroad in the flower of his
age; but David survived till about the year 1800. Jean, his eldest
daughter, married the Rev. James Fisher, latterly of Glasgow;
and Alison, the youngest, was united to the Rev. James Scott of
Gateshaw. Both of them were blessed with children; and in
these two branches, at least their Father has still a numerous
posterity. Mrs. Scott died most comfortably at Edinburgh, Ja-
nuary 13th, 1814, at the great age of ninety- four years and a
half. Her sister Anne gave her hand to Mr. James Jaffray,
Stirling; and Margaret married Mr. James Wardlaw, Dunferm-
line; but both died in the prime of life, leaving no children. Mr.
Eiskine's second spouse had two sons and a daughter, who have
long ago finished their earthly career. While this good man's
heart was much affected by his domestic changes and trials, he
derived consolation from the Rock of ages, and from the ani-
mating prospects presented by the gospel. When he received
the intelligence of his brother's departure, he exclaimed with
great emotion; " And is Ralph gone? He has twice got the start
of me, he was first in Christ, and now he is first in glory." The
death of his dear children, inflicted a deep wound on his affec-
tionate spirit; particularly, the loss of his three boys, who were
cut off in one year, viz. 1713; Henry in the eighth year of his

XXIV MEMOIR OF THE REV. EBENEZER ERSKINE.

age, Alexander in the fifth, and Ralph in the second. His Diary
contains some notices of his sorrows, hopes, and consolations on
these trying occasions. Parents who have been visited with si-
milar bereavements, will not read without interest the following
extract.

Portmoak, Wednesday, July 1st, 1713. — " I have been sadly,
sadly afflicted with the loss of another pleasant child; my dear
Henry Erskine, my first-born, having died by the will of God,

June 8, being about eight years of age. He was a blooming

pleasant child, and according to his age had an excellent capacity,
and was profiting exceedingly in his learning, and knew many of
the fundamentals of religion above many of his age. While he
lay on his sitk-bed, I frequently conversed with him about the
affairs of his soul; and he gave me great satisfaction by expressing
a desire of Christ, and a desire to be with him rather than with
father and mother, and friends and relations here in this world.
And that same day that he died, he frequently desired me to pray
with him, and would frequently cry out, when he saw me; '0!

Father, Father, pray, pray, pray for me !' The Lord was

pleased to give me sweet liberty in prayer on his behalf. All these
things I take as grounds of hope that my sweet Henry is now
praising, and triumphing with Christ in glory.'' — " Upon the 20th
day of June," he adds, " the Lord was pleased to take away from
me another pleasant child, of about five years of age, his name
Alexander. My affections were exceedingly knit to him, and I was
comforting myself in having him, after his brother Henry's death.
But it seems the Lord will not allow me to settle my affection on

any thing here below. The Lord make me content with his

dispensations, and give me the sanctified use of these repeated
breaches that he has made upon my poor family. I hope to be
gathered unto Christ with my little ones, ere long. 1 have had a
sore parting; but they and I, I hope, shall have a joyful meet-
ing. They will welcome me to those mansions of glory above;
and they and I, with all the ransomed on mount Zion, will join
in an eternal hymn and hallelujah of praise unto him that sit teth
on the throne, and to the Lamb for ever and ever. O to be ready,
and meet for that inheritance," &c.

For many years, Mr. Erskine was blessed with excellent health,
and enabled to discharge his ministerial duty at home and abroad
with much activity. But when he approached the age of seventy,
he had repeated attacks of trouble, and his bodily vigour gradually
failed. His distemper quite unfitted him for the fatigues of tra-
velling; and having become incapable of preaching regularly in
his own pulpit, his place was occasionally supplied by his bre-
thren, and by probationers. His people cheerfully consented to
make an adequate provision for an assistant; and he had great
comfort in his nephew, Mr. James Erskine, one of Ralph's sons,
who being regularly called, was ordained his colleague and suc-
cessor, on the 22d January, 1752. Notwithstanding this allevia-
tion of his pastoral labours, his infirmities continued and in-
creased, and at last the day of his death drew near. It was his
happiness, however, to experience the most tender sympathy from

MEMOIR OF THE REV. EBEPfEZER ERSKlNfi. SxV

his daughters, his colleague, and other relatives, and from a wide
circle of friends. What was incomparably better, he enjoyed (he
reviving presence of God. Under acute pain and protracted de-
bility, he exemplified the power of that living faith, which he had
often inculcated on others, and exhibited a noble pattern of de-
vout resignation. After his affliction had almost completely con-
fined him to bed, his people expressed an earnest desire once
more to see and hear him; and in compliance with their solicita-
tions, he went from his bed to his pulpit and delivered a short
discourse from these cheering words, Job xix. 25: " I know that
my Redeemer liveth." His last sermon was literally preached
from his bed to a company assembled in his room; where he bap-
tized a child, alter discoursing on a text with which he had par-
ticularly wished to finish his ministry, viz. Psal. xlviii. 14: " This
God is our God for ever and ever; he will be our guide even unto
death." A letter which he wrote to his daughter, Mrs. Scott,
breathes a tranquil, grateful, and submissive spirit. " The Lord,"
says he to her, " makes me to sing of mercy on this account, that
my bed is made to ease me, and my couch to comfort me; nor am
I. like poor Job, scared with dreams, or terrified with visions.
Many times my meditations of Him are sweet in the silent watches
of the night. Many, many times, the Lord says, ' I am the Lord
thy God;" and then follows, 'O my soul, thou hast said unto the
Lord, Thou art my God.'" In conversing with those around him
he often used language to this eft'ect: "I have always found my
times of severe affliction my best times. Many blasts I have en-
dured through life, but I had this comfort under them — a good
God, a good conscience, and a good cause." To several friends
that made him a visit one afternoon, he expressed his assurance of
future bliss in the following memorable words: 'kO sirs, my
body is now become a very disagreeable habitation for my sou';
but when my soul goes out of my body, it will as naturally fly
into the bosom of Jesus, as a stone will fall to the centre." When
one of his relatives be^an to comfort him thus, " I hope you get
now and then a blink to bear up your spirit under your affliction,''
he promptly returned this spirited reply: " I know more of ivords
than of blinks. ' Though lie slay me, yet will I trust in him.'
The covenant is my charter; and if it had not been for that blessed
word, my hope and strength had perished from the Lord."

That night on which he finished his mortal career, Mrs. Fisher,
having come from Glasgow to see her dying father, was sitting in
the room where he lay, and engaged in reading. Awakening from
a slumber, he said, " What book is that, my dear, you are read-
ing?" " 'Tis your sermon, father," she replied, " on that text, ' I
am the Lord thy God.' " " 0 woman," said he, " that is the best
sermon ever 1 preached." The discourse had proved very re-
freshing to his ou n soul, as well as to many of the bearers. A few
minutes after that expression had fallen from his lips, he request-
ed his daughter to bring the table and candle near the bed; and
having shut his eyes, and laid his hand under his cheek, he quietly
breathed out his soul into the hands of his Redeem jr, on the 2d

VOL. I. 3

XXVI MEMOIR OF THE REV. EBENEZER ERSKINE.

of June, 1754. Hail he lived twenty clays longer, he would have
finished the seventy-fourth year of his age; and had he been
snared three months more, he would have completed the fifty-
first of his ministry, having served Christ twenty-eight years at
Portmoak, and nearly twenty-three at Stirling.

In conformity with his own request, he was interred in the
middle of his meeting-house, in a spot opposite to the pulpit,
where a large stone covers his grave. A Latin inscription simply
states the time of his decease, the duration of his ministry, his
pastoral fidelity, and his having expressed a wish that his mortal
remains should be deposited in the church, that being dead, he
mi»ht still confirm the doctrine which, when living, he had stead-
fastly maintained. It is as follows:

2. Junii 1754, setat. 74, Dormiit in Jppu,

Reverendus Dominus Ebenezer Erskine,

officio pastomli, primo apud Portmoacenses 28,

dein apud Stirlmenses 23, fidelissime functus

In a?de hoc sepeliri voluit,

ut niortuus testimonium firmaret,

quod dum vivus, mordicus tcnuit.

The accounts already given of the life, ministry and death, of
this faithful servant, of Chi ist, appear to supersede the necessity of
an elaborate delineation of his Character. His piety was at
once sincere and fervent. A personal Covenant, in which he
solemnly takes hold of the promises, and dedicates himself to the
Lord, was found among his papers.* His religion was not con-
fined to the sanctuary, but appeared in the regularity and delight
with which he performed the exercises of the family and the clo-
set. He conversed frequently and intimately with God, and
with his own heart. While he instructed and exhorted his chil-
dren v\ith great affection and alacrity, he gladly embraced oppor-
tunities of promoting the best interests of his domestic servants,
and of labourers that were occasionally employed in his service.
His pious benevolence also took a wider range, and extended its
unwearied efforts to the people of his charge, to all the churches,
to all mankind. He was singularly helpful, as well in private
conference as in public ministrations, to those whose minds were
anxious and perplexed with regard to their immortal welfare.
Nor did he overlook the temporal necessities of others. Whilst he
often recommended cases of indigence and distress to the generous
attention of his hearers, his own example of liberal beneficence
gave weight to his appeals. His gravity was tempered with the
most engaging affability and cheerfulness; his zeal with candour,
and true moderation. The correctness of his morals, as a Chris-
tian, was above suspicion; and his loyalty, as a citizen, was in-
contestably established. His enemies, indeed, stigmatized him
as a troubler both of church and state; and struggled hard to
prove him guilty of sedition, if not of treason. To these calum-

" See a copy of this Covenant in Gospel Truth, p. 45.

MEMOIR OF THE REV. EBENEZER ERSKIffE. XXV11

nious charges he refers in advertisements, or notes, accompanying
at least the early editions of some of his sermons, as those on
Amos ix. 11; Psal. ii. 6. In these vindications of his character,
he justly appeals to the general tenour of his conduct, and to the
decided proofs he had shown of his loyalty, in the hour of public
alarm. In the year 1715, he '• prayed for the honourable family
of George I. under the very nose of the Pretender;" and many of
his parishioners at Portmoak, owing to his influence, engaged to
serve as volunteers, and kept garrison for a time in a castle. In
1745, too, some time after the commencement of the Secession,
when another daring and unnatural rebellion assaulted the British
throne, he discovered the same ardent attachment to the Protest-
ant interest and the House of Hanover; and, by his counsels and
example, was singularly active and successful, in stimulating the
inhabitants of Stirling to defend their king and country, their
privileges and liberties.* How could the most envenomed shafts
of calumny injure a man distinguished by such sterling fidelity
and worth? It is deserving of notice, that during that critical
period, not even one Seceder was known to swerve from his alle-
giance to George II.

All the other excellencies of this great man were crowned by
that amiable grace, unfeigned humility. Modest, unassuming,
self-diffident, he felt sometimes ashamed to succeed his brethren
in the pulpit. He made no high pretensions, or ambitious claims.
Referring to the encomiums pronounced upon him by the people
of Kinross, in their reasons for translation, he used the following
words in his speech to the Presbytery; " I am conscious their cha-
racter is so remote from the truth, that I blush it should have been
read before you." His first publications, as we have seen, were
in a manner extorted; and, in the prefaces to some of them, he
makes ingenuous acknowledgments of their defects, both as to

* The following letter, which Mr. Erskine had the honour to receive from
the Marquis of Lothian, will g'ive the reader some idea of the estimation
in which, during the rebellion, his loyalty and influence were held. We
quote it verbatim from the original now before us.

"London, January 25th, 1745-6.
"Rev. Sir, Reing informed that many of his Majesty's well-affected sub-
jects, (with whom you have great interest,) zealous for the defence of our
present happy government, and invaluable interest, now attacked by France,
Spain, the Pope, and a Popish pretender, have offered to take arms and
serve the King, upon condition of being allowed to choose their own officers ;
I therefore take the liberty to offer my Son, Lord Robert Kerr, who is ambi-
tious to serve as their Colonel, if they do him and my family the honour to
prefer him. It would not be decent for me to give his character, but am per-
suaded he would behave and act so as to gain their good opinion. 1 beg to
obtain your forgiveness for this trouble, and to be esteemed, Sir,
Your most obedient,

and most humble Servant,

LOTHTAJT.

** The Duke is soon to be with you, and it will be veiy proper that you ad-
dress him, for which end my Son, if you desire, shall attend you."

To this letter Mr. Krskine returned an appropriate and respectful answer.

XXVUl MEMOIR OF THE REV. EBENEZER ERSKINE.

matter and style, and even with respect to the indications they
might exhibit, of the corrupt bias remaining in his heart.

Yet, how moderate soever the estimate he formed of his own
productions, he was entitled to no ordinary share of esteem as a
Preacher and an Author. Endowed with powerful talents and
superior gifts, he conscientiously devoted them to the service of
the sanctuary. His sermons abounded with evangelical truth,
closely brought home to the conscience and the heart. His dic-
tion was simple and nervous. His arrangements were generally
natural; and though, agreeably to the prevailing practice of his
day, his divisions of the subject were numerous, they were en-
riched with striking and instructive illustrations. He had the ad-
vantages of a manly and prepossessing countenance, an easy elo-
cution, and an alluring address. His whole demeanour in the
pulpit was characterized by a singular dignity, which made a
strong impression on his hearers. The Rev. Adam Gibb, it is
said, having asked a certain young preacher, some time after Mr.
Erskine's death, whether he had ever heard him, and being an-
swered in the negative, replied; " Well then, sir, you never
heard the gospel in its majesty."

As an Author, his Sermons were almost the only productions
that were exclusively his own. He prepared, indeed, as has been
stated above, the first sketch of the answers to the Twelve Que-
ries. " The Act anent the Doctrine of Grace," too, was the joint
work of Mr. Erskine, and that able and excellent man, the Rev.
Alexander Moncrieff. He concurred, also, with his brother Ralph
and his son-in-law, Mr. Fisher, in composing the Synod's Cate-
chism. Owing partly to the obloquy of his clerical accusers, and
partly to the importunities of pious hearers, he gave to the world,
at different times, a considerable number of discourses in small
pamphlets. A few of these, with several sermons by Mr. Ralph,
were early collected and published in London, in one volume,
recommended by the Rev. Thomas Bradbury. About seven years
after his death, Mr. Fisher published at Edinburgh, in four neat
volumes, a complete collection of all the sermons he had printed
during his life. An additional volume, containing sermons never
before printed, was edited by his son, Mr. David Erskine. The
contents of these five volumes have subsequently undergone nu-
merous and large impressions, in a variety of forms.

It is not our intention to institute a critical inquiry into the
merits of these printed sermons. That they have no pretensions
to that elegance of language and refinement of taste, which con-
stitute the chief recommendation of many fashionable volumes,
is frankly admitted. Nor are we unwilling. to allow, that a fas-
tidious reader of the present age may be apt to feel some degree
of disgust at the frequent and spirited allusions to various topics
that were keenly discussed at the time when they were preached,
unless he possess some previous acquaintance with those contro-
versies, and be prepared to make reasonable and candid allow-
ances for the liberties taken by the preacher. But, that these dis-
courses are, on the whole, conducive, in a high degree, to the pur-

MEMOIR OF THE REV. EBENEZER ERSKIXE. XXIX

poses of spiritual edification, will not be readily questioned by the
genuine friends of the gospel, and might be presumed, with some
appearance of reason, from the extensive circulation which they
have long had, and continue to have, amongst serious Christians in
Britain, and other parts of (he world. Though a certain clergyman
of the Church ofEngland, lately deceased, whose acquaintance with
them was probablv very superficial, has ventured to describe the
discourses of theErskines as "dry" and uninteresting; and though
a Reverend Doctor of the Church of Scotland has been pleased, m
a recent publication, to represent some of Ebenezer's as deficient
'* in argument and substance," and meriting only to be consigned
to oblivion; the unfavourable judgments of these writers are
more than overbalanced by the cordial and ample testimonies to
their substantial excellence and undoubted utility, which have
been spontaneously given by theologians of high reputation for
learning, piety, and worth.

The Rev. Thomas Bradbury, a celebrated English dissenter,
and author of Sermons on "the Mystery of Godliness," gives
them the following character in his recommendatory preface:
" In these Sermons, the reader will find a faithful adherence to
the design of the gospel, a clear defence of those doctrines that
are the pillar and ground of truth, a large compass of thought,
and a happy flow of words, both judicious and familiar." — The
esteem which the Rev. James Hervey expressed for Ebenezer
Erskine's discourses, is well known. In the sixteenth Dialogue
of his Theron and Aspasio, that pious and lively writer says, in
a note: — " Were I to read in order to refine my taste, or improve
my style, I would prefer Bishop Atterbury's .Sermons, Dr. Bites'
works, or Mr. Seed's discourses. But were I to read, with a
single view to the edification of my heart in true faith, solid com-
fort, and evangelical holiness, I would have recourse to Mr.
EusKiNE,and take his volumes for my guide, my companion, and
my familiar friend." — Another clergyman of the Church of Eng-
land, eminent for the strength of his intellect, and the extent of
his learning, as well as for the ardour of his piety; namely, the
Rev. Augustus Toplady. seems to have entertained an equally
favourable opinion of Ebenezer's sermons with Mr. Hervey;
and, far from esteeming them "dry," he feelingly acknow-
ledges the spiritual refreshment they had been the means of im-
parting to his soul. Having mentioned them in a passage of his
Diary, he says: "These sweet discourses were wonderfully
blessed to my soul. Great was my rejoicing and triumph in
Christ. The Lord was with me of a truth, and his gracious vi-
sitation revived my spirit." In another passage, Mr. Toplady
has the following expressions: " The Lord was gracious to my
soul this afternoon. The Spirit was my comforter; and Mr.
Erskine's two sermons on the Rainbow of the Covenant were the
channel through which that comfort was conveyed." — Besides,
the late Rev. Archibald Hall of London, in his treatise on Faith,
expresses his regard for this writer in the following terms: " It
is with particular pleasure the author embraces the opportunity

3*

XXX MEMOIR OF THE REV. EBENEZER ERSKINE.

of acknowledging his vast obligations (o Mr. Erskine's sermons
on the Assurance of Faith. He wishes the reader carefully to
peruse this excellent performance, in order to direct and enlarge
his views of this subject." — In fine, the sermons of both brothers,
Ebenezer and Ralph, are mentioned in very respectful terms, by
the late Dr. Williams in his Preacher, in a list of books on Theo-
logy, which he recommends to students and ministers; and by
the venerable and candid Dr. John Erskine of Edinburgh, in a
note that occurs in the first volume of his Sermons.

These warm and decisive eulogies, pronounced by distinguished
individuals of various religious persuasions, are unquestionably
worthy of attention. Is there not ground to hope, that the day
is yet far distant, which shall consign to oblivion a series of dis-
courses, that have been so highly approved by competent judges,
and so abundantly blessed for promoting the best interests of
men? That every reader may himself reap some spiritual bene-
fit from these scriptural sermons, is the sincere desire of the
writer, — who, though not unwilling to avow his veneration for
the memory of the Rev. Ebenezer Erskine, and his connexion
with the church, of which, as an instrument in the hand of Christ,
that excellent man was the founder, has attempted, in this bio-
graphical sketch, after diligently inquiring into the transactions
to which it relates, to give a just and unvarnished statement of
facts.

November 14th, 1825.

CONTENTS OF VOL. I.

Page
Sermon I. — God's Utile remnant keeping their garments clean

in an evil day.

Thou hast a few names in Sardis, which have not defiled their garments;
and they shall walk with me in white, for they are worthy. — Hev.
iii. 4. ........ 37

Sermon II. — The backslider characterized.

From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more
with him. — John vi. 66. - - - - - - 63

Sermon III. — The wind of the Holy Ghost blowing upon the
dry bones in the valley of vision.

Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe upon these slain, that
they may live. — Ezek. xxxvii. 9. - - - - - 81

Sermon IV. — The King held in the galleries.
The King is held in the galleries. — Cant. vii. 5. - - - 105

Sermon V. — The groans of believers under their burdens.
We that are in this tabernacle do groan, being burdened. — 2 Cor. v. 4. 125

Sermon VI. — The believer exalted in imputed righteousness.

In thy name shall they rejoice all the day: and in thy righteousness shall
they be exalted. — Psal. lxxxix. 16. - - - . . 146

Sermon VII. — The humble soul the peculiar favourite of
heaven.

Though the Lord be high, yet hath he respect unto the lowly: but the
proud he knoweth afar off. — Psal. cxxxviii. 6. 160

Sermon VIII. — The necessity and profitableness of good works
asserted.

This is a faithful saying, and these things I will that thou affirm constant-
ly, that they which have believed in God might be careful to main-
tain good works: these things are good and profitable unto men. —
Tit. iii. 8. - - - - - - . .179

Sermon IX. — Christ in the believer's arms.
Then took he him up in his arms, and blessed God. — Luke ii. 28. - 206

XXXll CONTENTS OF VOL. I.

Sermon X. — A discourse on the throne of grace.

Justice and judgment are the habitation of thy throne — Psal. Ixxxix.
14. - - - - - - - - - 239

Sermon XI. — The assurance of faith, opened and applied.

Let us draw near with a true heart, in full assurance of faith. — Heb. x.
22. 272

Sermon XII. — God in Christ, a God of love.
God is love. — 1 John iv. 16. ------ 350

Sermon XIII. — Unbelief arraigned and condemned at the bar
of God.

He that believeth not, is condemned already. — John iii. 18. - - 372

Sermon XIV. — The day-spring from on high.

Through the tender mercy of our God; whereby the day-spring from
on high hath visited us. — Luke i. 78. - - - -401

Sermon XV. — The rainbow of the covenant surrounding the
throne of grace.

And there was a rainbow round about the throne in sight like unto an
emerald. — Rev. iv. 3. - - - - - - 443

Sermon XVI. — The tree of life shaking his fruits and leaves
among the nations.

In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there
the tree of life, which bare, twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her
fruit every month, and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of
the nations. — Rev. xxii. 2. - - - - - - 487

Sermon XVII. — The law of faith issuing forth from mount
Zion.

For the law shall go out of Zion. — Isa. ii. 3. - - - - 524

Sermon XVIII. — The stone rejected by the builders exalted as
the head-stone of the corner.

The stone which the builders rejected, the same is made the head-stone
of the comer.— Psal. cxviii. 22. ... - -592

PREFACE.

It would be great presumption to attempt any recommendation
of the following discourses, when they have had, hitherto, their
approbation in the judgment and experience of so many seriou3
and well disposed Christians, both at home and abroad: nor will
any such thing be expected from one to whom the worthy author
stood so nearly related as I do.

His praise is already in the churches; and, though he be dead,
he yet speaketh. His modesty did not permit him to leave any
memoirs of his life, for public use. He was twenty-eight years
minister at Portmoak in Fife, and twenty-three at Stirling. — He
died in the seventy-fourth year of his age.

It is hoped that whoever shall, in a dependence upon the divine
blessing, peruse the valuable treasure contained in this volume,
will find many things, (as the renowned Mr. Hervey expresses
it,) " to the edification of" their " hearts, in true faith, solid com-
fort, and evangelical holiness." — That this may be the case with
multitudes, is the sincere desire of

JAMES FISHER,

Glasgow, Feb. 10, 1761.

PREFACE
TO THE FIRST SERMON.

It is very probable that this, and some other sermons, now designed
for the public, had slept in perpetual silence among my other short-hand
manuscripts, if a holy and wise providence, which overrules us in our
designs and inclinations, had not, in a manner, forced me to yield to their
publication, for my own necessary defence, when the earnest entreaty of
some (dear to the Lord) could not prevail with me to fall in with any
such proposal. The conduct of adorable providence, in this matter, has
brought me under such a conviction of culpable obstinacy, in resisting
their solicitations, that I sincerely resolve, through grace, not to be so
shy in time coming; especially, if I find that these sermons, which are
almost extorted from me, shall prove useful and edifying.

The affair, which gave occasion to the publication of these discourses,
is briefly this: —

In May, 1725, Mr. A. A.,* a reverend brother, with whom I have taken
sweet counsel, and gone unto the house of God in company, and whose
name, if it were practicable, out of tenderness to him, I have all the in-
clination in the world to conceal, was pleased, in my absence, and with-
out any provocation from me, that I know of, publicly to arraign me be-
fore the Commission of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland,
of having, at a sacrament in Strathmiglo, upon the Monday, anno 1714,
preached against the brethren who had taken the abjuration oath, not-
withstanding the act of Assembly recommending mutual forbearance on
that head. The sermon he pointed at is that which immediately follows,
being the first in order, on Rev. iii. 4. It was preached before a pretty
numerous auditory; but I never heard of its being quarrelled by any, ex-
cept that brother himself. What ground he had for carping at it, let the
world judge. It is true, in the use of lamentation, I took notice of some
who defiled themselves and the land by perjury, particularly in taking
the abjuration oath, with a design to serve the Pretender's interest. But

* Mr. Alexander Anderson, minister at St. Andrew's,

PREFACE TO THE FIRST SERMON- XXXV

that I spoke either of ministers taking or forbearing', is false in fact; and
I do not believe he will get any of that numerous company who will ad-
venture to sny so upon oath. It is true, when I urged him with this,
having taken occasion to talk with him in the beginning of July last, he
alleged, that, though I did not speak directly of ministers who had taken
the oath, yet the tendency of my discourse was to bring a reflection upon
them. But, for my part, if the oath be a good thing, and if he took it
with a good conscience, I cannot find any thing in all that sermon that
could militate against him, there being nothing in it, so far as I know,
but the pure and plain truths of God. But if the word of the Lord be
against men, it is a plain evidence of a galled and uneasy conscience
within ; for a good conscience will never be wounded at plain scripture
truth. But it is the. natural fruit of the sword of the Spirit, when faith-
fully managed, to prick and wound the guilty conscience; and, where it
does not meeken and humble the spirits of men, it so irritates their cor-
ruptions, that they turn about to rend those who wield it. An instance
of which we have, Luke xx. 19: " And the chief priests and the scribes
the same hour sought to lay hands on him ; and they feared the people;
for they perceived that he had spoken this parable against them."

I know it will be alleged that I have altered and smoothed my ser-
mon, and that my notes may not be the same with what I delivered
viva voce. As to which I shall only say, that it is my practice to write
all I have a mind to say in public. It is true, indeed, I do not pretend to
such an exact memory, as that I can confine myself in the delivery, to
every thing in my notes, without varying a word or phrase : but yet I use
to be pretty exact that way, when I know such critical auditors as Mr.
A. are before me. One of my own children, who I am sure would not
adventure to alter a word, dictated the following sermon to an amanuen-
sis, from my original notes ; and that same copy goes to the press : I own
I helped the grammar in some places, when I revised it. So that there
is not a phrase or sentence altered, at which my accuser might take the
least umbrage. And I do very well remember that some things were ex-
pressed softer in the delivery than they are in the notes which now are
come abroad.

Mr. A. told me, that, if I published my sermons, I could not hinder him
from printing the notes he took from my mouth. For my part, if he took
every word I spoke at that time, I should be very easy ; for (I desire to
speak it not out of vain glory, but to the praise of him who makes the
tongue of the stammerer to speak plainly,) that which I deliver in public,
has, for ordinary, the advantage of my notes, both for closeness of connex-
ion and accuracy of expression. But I very much doubt if Mr. A. be such
a ready writer as to catch every word, or sentence either, when I speak.

As for the other sermons that Mr. A. arraigns, I design to let them
come abroad in due time ; and what he asserts concerning them may be

XXXVI PREFACE TO THE FIRST SERMON*

considered in a preface to each sermon apart. — I shall here subjoin a list
of them, with their several texts, notifying what was affirmed concerning
them.

1st, Upon John vi. 66 : " From that time many of his disciples went
back, and walked no more with him." Concerning this sermon, it was
affirmed that I preached such doctrine, as he, preaching after me, was
obliged to contradict.
i 2(111/, Upon Psal. cxxxviii. 6: " Though the Lord be high, yet hath he
respect unto the lowly ; but the proud he knoweth afar off." In this, I
was said to have arraigned the church of Scotland, in the matter of the
oath.

- 8dly, Upon Titus iii. 8: " This is a faithful saying, and these things I
will that thou affirm constancy, that they which have believed in God
might be careful to maintain good works: these things are good and pro-
fitable unto men." As to this, it was affirmed, that, by ambiguous ex-
pressions, I endeavoured to lead the people to think that assurance was
of the essence of faith ; and that it was the duty of every man to believe
that Christ died for him.

Athly, Upon Luke ii. 28: "Then took he him up in his arms, and
blessed God." As to which, it was said that I preached unsound doc-
trine, or doctrine of an erroneous tendency.

bthly, Upon Psal. lxxxix. 16 : "In thy righteousness shall they be ex-
alted." It was represented that, in this sermon, I taught that believers
. are exalted above the law; that they are altogether innocent; and that
God hath not any grudge in his heart against them.

Because it is charged upon us as an error, that we preach assurance to
be of the essence of faith, therefore I design also to publish a sermon on
that subject, from Heb. x. 22: " Let us draw near with a true heart, in
full assurance of faith." From which I hope it shall appear, that our
principle upon that head is agreeable to the scriptures of truth, and the
ancient and modern standard of doctrine in this church. And I hope that
the following sermon, and the third of those above mentioned, shall be
an effectual confutation of that calumny cast upon us, as if we discarded
holiness and good works. And whereas, it may be alleged that this ser-
mon was preached long ago, and that I have altered my way of thinking
since that time, I here declare that what is taught in the said sermon, I
own as my principle still.

It shall be my earnest prayer, that He, who, by his overruling hand,
has brought forth these sermons to public view, beyond my design, may
accompany them with his effectual blessing, to the edification of souls.

E. E.
October 5, 1725.

SERMONS,

SERMON I.

god's little remnant keeping their garments clean in an

EVIL DAY.*

Thou hast a few names even in Sardis, which have not defiled their garments;
and they shall walk with me in white; for they are worthy. — Rev. hi. 4.

The first six verses of this chapter contain an epistle sent
by Jesus Christ to the church of Sardis. Where we have,
first, the preface, and then the body of the epistle. In the body
of the epistle we may notice these three things: 1. An ac-
cusation or charge, in the close of the first verse. 2. An
exhortation to several duties, such as repentance, watchful-
ness, and the like, ver. 2, 3. 3. We have a commendation
given to this church, in the words of my text, Thou hast a
few names even in Sardis, &c. Where, more particularly,
we have, 1st, The commendation itself, Thou hast a few names
even in Sardis, which have not defied their garments. 2dly,
A reward, They shall walk zvith me in white. 3dly, The rea-
son and ground of this, For they are worthy. First, I say, we
have the commendation itself. Where we may notice, the
commender, the commended, and the ground on which the
commendation runs. 1. The commender. Who he is may
be gathered from the connexion. It is "he that hath the
seven Spirits of God, and the seven stars," ver. 1. It is Christ
himself. And his commendation may be depended upon ;
for he trieth the heart and reins, and needs not that any
should testify of man unto him, because he knows what is in
man. 2. The party commended. Who are described, (1.)
From their designation ; they are called names. God had
" given them a new name, a name better than of sons and of
daughters," even a name " among the living in Jerusalem :"
they were marked among the rolls of his chosen, redeemed,
and sanctified ones. By their zeal, uprightness, integrity, and
their honest appearance for God, in that degenerate day and
place, they had distinguished themselves from others, and so

* Preached on a sacramental occasion at Strathmiglo, Monday, June 3, 1714.
VOL. I. 4

38 god's little remnant keeping [ser.

purchased a name to themselves; and they were known to
men as well as unto God: "The Lord knoweth the right-
eous;" and he knows them by name, they are marked out
among others. (2.) They are described by their paucity ;
they are a few names. They were comparatively few, when
laid in the balance with the multitude and bulk of carnal se-
cure professors in this church; there was but a small part of
them that had kept themselves free of the corruptions and
defections of that church, and that had "not bowed the knee
unto Baal." (3.) They are described from the place of their
residence, Sardis, one of the seven churches of the Lesser Asia.
The expression here is observable, A few names even in Sardis.
Christ's character of this church, in the close of the first Verse,
was, that they were generally dead, though they had a name
to live : " But," as if he had said, " though the generality of
this church be dead, yet even there I have a lew lively and
tender Christians." But then, 3. Notice the ground on which
the commendation runs ; they have kept their garments clean,
or, have not defiled their garments. Perhaps there may be an
allusion in this expression to the Jews, who were not to come
near any thing that was unclean, by the law of Moses,
or to touch them with their garments, lest they should be
defiled : or it may allude to the practice of the eastern coun-
tries, who used to gird up their long garments, to keep them
from being defiled, or spotted. The meaning is, that this
little remnant in Sardis had maintained their integrity, like'
Job ; they were " perfect and upright men," men that " feared
God, and eschewed evil ;" they had not complied with the
abounding errors and corruptions of their day, but " exercised
themselves to keep consciences void of offence towards God
and man." When others were sleeping, they were waking,
about their work ; when others in that church were dead and
secure, they were lively. And so much for the commenda-
tion given by Christ to this remnant. Secondly, In the words
we have a reward, or rather we may call it a consolatory
promise made to this little remnant : They shall walk zvith me
in white. Perhaps the expression may allude to the practice
of the Romans, who clothed their nobility, at any solemnity,
in white : or to their conquerors, who triumphed, upon any
victory obtained, in white garments ; or to the priests under
the law, who ministered in the temple in white garments.
The meaning is, They shall walk with me in white; that is,
" They shall be admitted to the immediate enjoyment of fel-
lowship and communion with me, and be partakers of my
glory in heaven through eternity." But the import of the
expression may be more fully spoken to afterward. Thirdly,
In the words we have the reason and ground why the Lord

I.] THEIR GARMENTS CLEAN IN AN EVIL DAY. 39

puts such a difference between his remnant and others, For
they are worthy; that is, valuable, and excellent persons, as
Solomon speaks, "The righteous is more excellent than his
neighbour." Not as if they had any worthiness or excellency
in themselves beyond others by nature; no, no; "They are
children of wrath and condemnation, even as others ;" but they
are made worthy by justifying and sanctifying grace, by im-
puted righteousness and inherent holiness. Some render the
word, " For they are meet :" so the word is rendered, Matth.
iii. 8 : " Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance." So
here the Lord promises, that they who keep their garments
clean should walk with him in ivhite ; why, because it is meet
or suitable it should be so, that they who are holy here, should
be happy hereafter.

Doct. " That although there be but few in a visible church
that keep their garments clean in a declining time, yet these
few are highly valued by Christ, and shall be admitted to
partake of his glory in heaven."

This doctrine I take to be the scope of the verse, Thou hast
a few names, &c. In discoursing on this point, I shall endeavour,
through divine assistance, to do these six things : —

I. Offer a few propositions concerning this little remnant.

II. Show that Christ has a high value for this remnant ;
they are worthy in his esteem.

III. What is imported in their keeping their garments clean.

IV. What it is to walk with Christ in white.

V. Inquire into the connexion between the duty and privi-
lege.

VI. Apply the whole.

I. The first thing is, to offer a few propositions concerning
this remnant, who are said to keep their garments clean; and
you may take these few following.

1. That God the Father gave a remnant to Christ of the
posterity of Adam, in the covenant of redemption, to be ran-
somed and redeemed by him, from that wo and wrath, into
which Adam, by his apostacy, had involved himself and all
his posterity. That such a remnant was gifted to Christ by
the Father, is plain from John xvii. ; where Christ in his
prayer frequently speaks of those that the Father gave him,
particularly ver. 6 : " Thine they were, and thou gavest them
me ; and they have kept thy word." He promised to him,
for his encouragement in that great undertaking, that he
should have " a seed to serve him," and " see of the travail
of 4i is soul."

2. The Lord Jesus, the eternal Son of God, in the fulness
of time, took on the nature of man, and in our nature obeyed

40 god's little remnant keeping [ser.

the law, and died in the room and stead of this remnant which
the Father gave him. He did not obey the law, and satisfy
justice for the whole world, or for all men, as Arminians talk;
no ; but he died for a select number. Hence he is said to
" lay down his life for his sheep," and not for the goats.
And as his death, so his intercession is confined to this rem-
nant, as is plain from John xvii. 9 : " I pray for them : I pray
not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me,
for they are thine."

3. This redeemed remnant are, in God's own time, sooner
or later, under the ministry of gospel-ordinances, determined,
by the power and efficacy of divine grace, to close with Christ,
upon the call of the gospel, and to go in to the blessed contri-
vance of salvation and redemption through him : he translates
them, in a day of his power, " out of darkness into his mar-
vellous light, and into the kingdom of his dear Son." Not one
of this elected remnant, but shall in due time be brought home;
for " whom he did predestinate, them he also called."

4. God's remnant are a holy people. They are a set of men
that study to keep clean garments ; they study to " purify
themselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting
holiness in the fear of the Lord ;'' and therefore called " the
people of his holiness," Is. lxiii. 18. Holiness is the design of
their election; for " he hath predestinated us unto the adoption
of children, that we should be holy, and without blame before
him in love." Holiness is the design of their redemption by
Christ Jesus : " He hath redeemed us from all iniquity, and
purified unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works,"
Tit. ii. 14. Holiness is the design of their effectual calling :
" For God hath not called us to uncleanness, but unto holiness;
and he hath saved us, and called us with a holy calling." So
that, I say, God's remnant are a holy remnant.

5. The number of this remnant is but small ; there are but
a few names in Sardis, that have not defiled their garments.
Christ's flock is but a little Jlock. It is indeed a great flock,
and an " innumerable multitude," abstractly considered : but
considered comparatively, or when laid in the balance with
the droves and multitudes of the wicked, it is but a little flock,
and a small remnant. They are few that are elected ; " for
many are called, but few are chosen;" they are few that are
redeemed;" it is only God's elect that are " bought with a
price :" they are few that are effectually called ; for " to
whom is the arm of the Lord revealed?" few that hold out in
the time of temptation ; but seven thousand among all the thou-
sands of Israel "that have not bowed the knee to Baal."

6. Although they be but few, yet in the worst of times God
has always some of this remnant, who cleave to him and his

I.] THEIR GARMENTS CLEAN IN AN EVIL DAY. 41

way, even when all about them are corrupting their ways.
He had a Lot in Sodom, whose righteous soul was vexed with
the abominations of the place; he has a remnant of mourners
in Jerusalem, when the whole city was defiled with wicked-
ness; he has his two witnesses to bear testimony to his truths,
when " the whole world is wondering after the beast," and
over-run with Antichristian darkness and idolatry.

7. Lastly, God has a special eye of favour and kindness on
this remnant, in a sinful and declining time. He has "a mark
set upon the men that sigh and cry for the abominations in
Jerusalem;" his "eyes run to and fro throughout the whole
earth, to show himself strong in the behalf of them whose
heart is perfect towards him," &c. But this leads me to,

II. The second thing proposed, which was to show, that
Christ has a high value for this remnant. They are the wor-
thies of the world in his esteem, however they be disesteemed
and undervalued by the world. This will appear from these
following considerations: —

1. Consider what an account he makes of them, when com-
pared with the rest of the world. He values them so highly,
that he will grive whole nations and kingdoms of the wicked
for their ransom: Isa. xliii. 4: "Ever since thou wast precious
in my sight thou hast been honourable, and I have loved thee;
and I gave men for thee,"&c; that is, he will sacrifice whole
nations and kingdoms of wicked men, before he be bereft of
his little remnant. The scriptures are very full to this pur-
pose. His remnant is the gold, the rest of the world are but
dross: "Thou puttest away all the wicked of the earth like
dross," Psal. cxix. 119: but "the precious sons of Zion are
comparable to fine gold," Lam. iv. 2; not only gold, but fine
gold, polished by the hand of the Spirit. Again, his little
remnant is the wheat, but the rest of the world are the chaff;
and " What is the chaff to the wheat, saith the Lord ?" When
he "comes with his fan in his hand, he will gather his wheat
into his garner; but the chaff he will burn up with fire that
is unquenchable," Matth. iii. 12. His little remnant is the
good corn, but the wicked are the tares; and he will say to
his reapers at the last judgment, "Gather the tares together,
and bind them in bundles to burn them;" but, "Gather the
good corn into my barn." His remnant are his sheep, but the
rest are the goats; and he will say to the sheep on his right
hand, " Come, ye blessed; " but to the goats he will say, " De-
part, ye cursed." His remnant are his vessels of honour,
whom he sets by as plenishing to garnish " the house not made
with hands;" but the wicked are vessels of wrath, whom he
"will break in pieces as a potter's vessel," and cast into the
furnace of his anger. Thus, I say, that they are worthv in

4*

42 god's little remnant keeping [ser.

his esteem, is evident from the account he makes of them,
when laid in the balance with others.

2. That this little remnant are worthy on Christ's account,
will appear, if we consider the names and compellations that
he gives them. He sometimes calls them his love, his dove, his
undejiled, his Hephzibah, his Beulah, his Jedidiahs, the very
darlings of his heart. He calls them sometimes his jewels:
Mai. hi. 17: "They shall be mine, saith the Lord, in the day
that I make up my jewels; and I will spare them as a man
spareth his own son that serveth him." He calls them the
very apple of his eye, the most tender part of the body: and
the eyelid of his special providence doth cover them. Yes,
such is the value that he has for them, that he calls them
himself, and speaks of them as if he and they were but one :
"Saul, Saul," says the Lord, "why persecutest thou me?"

3. Consider the endeared relations they stand under to him;
and from thence you will see, that they cannot but be worthy
in his esteem. There is a legal, a moral, and a mystical union
between him and them. He is their Head, and they are his
members; he is the Root, and they are the branches that
grow upon him; he is the Husband, and they are his spouse
and bride; "Thy Maker is thy husband;" he is their Father,
and they are his children; he is their Elder Brother, and they
are his younger brethren; he is Heir of all things, and he
makes them joint-heirs with himself of his heavenly kingdom;
he is their Advocate, and they are his clients ; he is their King,
and they are his subjects.

4. They cannot but be worthy in his esteem, if you consider
how much he values not only their persons, but whatever per-
tains to them. He values their names ; 1 have a few names in
Sardis ; he keeps them among the records of heaven, and has
them written in the Lamb's book of life." He values their
prayers : Cant. ii. 14 : " O, my dove, that art in the clefts of
the rock, let me hear thy voice ; for it is sweet." The prayers
of the wicked are like the howling of dogs to him ; but the
prayers of the upright remnant are his delight. He values
their tears, and " puts them into his bottle ; " he, as it were,
gathers every drop from their eyes: "I have heard thy prayers,
I have seen thy tears," saith the Lord to Hezekiah. He va-
lues their blood : Psal. cxvi. 15 : " Precious in the sight of the
Lord, is the death of his saints:" and they that shed their
blood, " he will give them blood to drink."

5. Lastly, That they are worthy in his esteem, appears
from what he does for them. He remembered them in their
low estate, and set his love on them when they were wallow-
ing in their blood. He has loved them " with an everlasting
love," an unalterable love, with an ardent love ; his love to

I.] THEIR GARMENTS CLEAN IN AN EVIL DAY. 43

them " is strong as death : he has redeemed them with his
blood ; for we are not redeemed by corruptible things, such as
silver and gold," &c. " He hath loved us and washed us with
his own blood," Rev. i. 5. He confers many excellent privi-
leges upon them. They have an excellent pardon, it being
full, final and irrevocable, Heb. viii. 12. They have an ex-
cellent " peace, which passes all understanding ; " an excel-
lent joy, being " unspeakable, and full of glory ; " excellent
food ; they " eat of the hidden manna ; " have access to an ex-
cellent throne, " with boldness," Heb. iv. 16. They have
excellent communion, even " fellowship with the Father, and
with his Son Jesus Christ." They have the interposition of
an excellent Mediator, even Jesus the Mediator of the new
covenant. They have an excellent guard attending them;
they are guarded with the divine attributes, even "as the
mountains are about Jerusalem;" guarded with the "twenty
thousand chariots of angels," Mahanaim, " the two hosts of
God." They have an excellent store-house, even the " whole
fulness of the Godhead dwelling bodily in Christ. They are
clothed with excellent robes, even " the garments of salvation,
and robes of righteousness." They are " heirs of an ever-
lasting inheritance, that is incorruptible and undefiled ; yea,
heirs with God, and joint-heirs with Jesus Christ." And, to
crown all, they have excellent security for all this ; the word
of God, his covenant, his oath, his blood, and the earnest of
his Spirit. From all which it appears, what a high value he
has for them, and how worthy they are in his account and
reckoning.

III. The third thing proposed was, to inquire into what is
imported in the remnant keeping their garments clean. And,

1. It imports, that God's remnant are clothed, or, that they
have garments given them : they are not naked, like the rest
of the world. And there is a Kvo-fold garment with which
God's remnant are arrayed ; namely, a garment of imputed
righteousness, and a garment of inherent holiness. By the
first, all their inicmities are covered, and they screened from
the curse and condemnation of the law, and the stroke of
avenging justice. By the last, namely, the garment of in-
herent holiness, their souls are beautified and adorned, the
image of God restored, and they, like " the King's daughter,"
made " all glorious within." And it is the last of these that
is here principally intended.

2. It imports, that the garment which God gives his rem-
nant is a pure and a cleanly robe; and therefore called zohite
raiment, Rev. iii. 18; and^we linen, chap. xix. 8. Speaking
of the bride, the Lamb's wife, it is said, that " to her was
granted, that she should be arrayed in fine linen, pure and

44 god's little remnant keeping [ser.

white : for the fine linen is the righteousness of the saints." So
that you see while is the livery with which Christ clothes his
little remnant : and, Rev. vii. 9, they are said to be " clothed
with white robes."

3. That sin is of a defiling and polluting nature. As mire
and filth defile our garments, so does sin defile and pollute our
souls, and render us vile and loathsome in the sight of God.
Hence it is commonly called uncleanness ; Zech. xiii. 1: " There
is a fountain opened to the house of David, to take away sin
and uncleanness." it is the abominable thing which God's
soul doth hate, and is more loathsome in his sight, than the
most detestable things in nature are to us.

4. That it may be the lot of the Lord's people to live and
walk among a people, the generality of whom are polluting
and defiling themselves; for this is the commendation of the
remnant here, that though the body of this church was cor-
rupted, yet they had not gone along with them. Thus it fared
with Noah in the old world, and with Lot in Sodom; and the
prophet Isaiah, (chap vi.) cries out, "I dwell in the midst of a
people of polluted lips."

5. That even God's remnant are not without danger of de-
filing themselves with the sins and defections of their day. Sin
comes gilded with such fair and plausible pretences, and
backed with such powerful motives and arguments, that even
some of God's own remnant are not only in danger, but some
of them may be actually insnarcd and defiled therewith ; and,
no doubt, some that had the root of the matter in Sardis,
were tainted with the corruptions of that church; as I doubt
not but many in our own church, who have made very wide
steps, are, notwithstanding, dear and near to God.

6. That foul garments are very unbecoming and unsuitable
to God's remnant; for they that " name the name of Christ,"
and profess to be his friends and favourer.?, are bound to " de-
part from all iniquity." Tt brings up a reproach on religion,
and makes "the name of God to be blasphemed," when any
of God's remnant make a wrong step ; as you see in the case
of David : his murder and adultery opened the mouths of the
wicked in his day, and made " the enemy to blaspheme."
And I am sure it cannot but be bitter to any that belong to
God, when, through their untenderness, "the way of God is
evil spoken of."

7. A careful study of universal obedience to all known and
commanded duties. God's remnant are of David's mind and
principle; they " have a respect to all God's commandments ;"
his law is the rule and standard of their walk ; it is a " light
unto their feet, and a lamp unto their paths : " and they are
always breathing after more and more conformity to it, say-

I.] THEIR GARMENTS CLEAN IN AN EVIL DAY. 45

ing, with David, "O that my ways were directed to keep thy
statutes!" They study to have a gospel-adorning conversa-
tion, and that "their light may so shine before men, that
others, seeing their good works, may glorify their Father which
is in heaven."

8. A holy caution and tenderness in guarding against all
sin, especially the prevailing sins of the day and generation
in which they live. They will not " walk according to the
course of this world, but they are transformed by the renew-
ing of their minds;" they keep at a distance from common
defections, errors in doctrine, profanity in practice, and in-
novations in the worship of God; they will not so much as
give their consent to these abominations; but endeavour, in
their station, to oppose them, and give their honest testimony
against them. Keeping of the garments clean, in a declining
time, implies a steady adherence to the truths, laws, and ordi-
nances, of Christ, and the government that he has appointed
in his house. Hence they are said to "keep the word of his
patience." They will not sell one hoof of divine truth, no,
not though it should cost them the warmest blood of their
heart ; they will " buy the truth " at any rate, but sell it at
no rate. It implies, that they have supplies of covenanted
strength given them, to uphold and keep them from defiling
their garments: for they are not able to keep themselves; no,
"The way of man is not in himself;" it is "the Lord that
keepeth the feet of his saints," when " the wicked shall be
silent in darkness;" yea, they "are kept by the power of
God, through faith unto salvation," 1 Pet. i. 5: which implies,
a keeping them as in a garrison : " The Lord Jehovah is their
strength," and the munitions of rocks round about them.

9. Lastly, It imports the mortification of sin in the root and
fruit of it, together with a holy care to have grace improved
and exercised, till it be crowned with glory ; for "he that hath
this hope in him purifieth himself," &c. And thus you see
what is imported in keeping of the'garments clean.

I V". The fourth thing proposed, was, to inquire a little into
the import of the co?isolatory promise made to the remnant that
keep their garments clean; They shall walk with me in white,
saith the Lord: that is, as I told you in the explication of the
words, " they shall be admitted to share of my glory at death
and judgment." But I shall endeavour more particularly to
inquire into the import of this promise. And, 1. What is im-
ported in walking with Christ? And, 2. What in walking
with him in white ?

First, What is imported in walking with him?

1. It necessarily supposes the soul's subsistence in a separate
state, or after its separation from the body ; otherwise it could

46 god's little remnant keeping [ser.

not be said to walk with him. This is one of the fundamental
truths of our religion, which Christ himself proved and main-
tained against the Sadducees, from that scripture, " I am the
God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; God is not," says he,
" the God of the dead, but of the living." No sooner are the
souls of God's remnant divorced from their bodies, but, by
the ministry of angels, they are carried into Abraham's bosom.

2. Their walking with Christ, not only supposes the soul's
existence in a separate state, but also its activity, for it 7iialks
with Christ. The spirits of just men, upon their separation
from the body, are made perfect, and so perfect, " as they
serve him day and night in his holy temple," with infinitely
more activity and liveliness, than when they were cooped up
in the prison of the body; which, in this stats of sin and im-
perfection, is a dead weight, as it were, upon the soul, in the
service of God.

3. Their walking with Christ implies perfect peace and
agreement between Christ and them : for how can two walk
together, except they be agreed ? The Lord's people, while
here, are many times under the affrighting apprehensions of
his anger and displeasure, which makes them cry out with
David, (Psal. lxxvii. 9,) "Hath God forgotten to be gracious?
hath he in anger shut up his tender mercies? Selah." But
there will be no such complaint in heaven: no, no; there will
not be the least grudge in his heart, or frown in his counte-
nance, through eternity ; nothing but a perpetual smile of his
reconciled countenance.

4. It implies intimacy : which is more than agreement ;
for there may be a good understanding where there is little
intimacy and familiarity. But the saints in glory shall walk
with Christ ; that is, he and they will be very intimate one
with another. This intimacy is begun on earth; for some-
times, even in the wilderness, he brings them into the cham-
ber of presence, and allows them sweet fellowship with him-
self; sometimes they "sit down under his shadow with great
delight." But this intimate fellowship shall be consummated
and completed in heaven, where all vails shall be rent, and
all clouds shall be for ever dispelled, and nothing shall remain
to interrupt the blessed familiarity betwixt him and them : then
that word shall be fully accomplished, John xvii. 23: "I in
them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one."

5. It implies, that they shall be in the presence of Christ :
and this is an addition to intimacy ; for two intimate friends
may be at a distance one from another. The Lord's people,
while "in the body," are said to be "absent from the Lord."
But then they shall be at home ; he and they shall dwell to-
gether through eternity, in the mansions of glory, the " house

I.] THEIR GARMENTS CLEAN IN AN EVIL DAY. 47

not made with hands." So much Christ tells his disciples,
John xii. 26: "Where I am, there shall also my servants be."
And, John xiv. 3: "I will come again, and receive you to
myself, that where 1 am, there ye may be also."

6. It implies, that they shall be privileged with the sight
of Christ ; for two cannot well walk together without seeing
one another. Then they shall see the man Christ "exalted
at his Father's right hand, far above all principalities and
powers, and every name that is named, not only in this world,
out also in that which is to come." This is a privilege en-
sured to the little remnant by Christ's own prayer, John xvii.
24: " Father, I will that they whom thou hast given me, may
be with me where I am, that they may behold my glory which
thou hast given me." O how ravishing a sight will this be, to
behold the glory of Christ in heaven ! When he was trans-
figured upon mount Tabor, " his fa*ce did shine as the sun,
and his raiment was white as the light: " what will he be on
Mount Zion above, when he shall be seen with all his robes
of glory, and all his heavenly retinue attending him ?

7. They shall zoalk with me. It implies, full pleasure, sa-
tisfaction, and complacency : for walking is an act of recrea-
tion. Heaven is a place of joy and pleasure, Psal. xvi. 1 1 :
" In thy presence there is fulness of joy, at thy right hand
there are pleasures for evermore." Then the joy of the Lord
shall not only enter into them, but they shall " enter into the
joy of their Lord : " " The ransomed of the Lord shall come
to Zion with songs, and everlasting joy upon their heads."

Secondly, What is imported in walking with him in white ?

A?is. 1. That then all their black and beggarly garments
shall be laid aside. A " body of sin and death " shall not then
molest them ; they shall not any more complain of the errors
of their hearts, or the iniquity of their heels : no, they shall
be "presented without spot or wrinkle, or any such thing."

2. White is a badge of purity and innocence: They shall
walk with me in white ; that is, they shall not only lay aside
their beggarly garments, but they shall be " clothed with
change of raiment." Perfect holiness shall then be their or-
nament : " They shall be brought unto the King in raiment
of needle-work;" and, like the King's daughter, " they shall
be all-glorious within : " they who had " lain among the pots,
shall become like the wings of a dove, covered with silver,
and her feathers with yellow gold ; " yea, " they shall shine
forth like the sun in the kingdom of their Father."

3. White is a badge of victory, as we told you in the ex-
plication of the words, Rev. vii. 9; the triumphant company
there, " of all nations, tongues, and kindreds, stand before the
throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and

48 god's little remnant keeping [ser.

palms in their hands," as a sign of their complete victory over
all their enemies, whether outward or inward. Sin is an
enemy that the believer has many a hot conflict with, while
here ; but in heaven, " the inhabitants are all forgiven their
iniquities ; " there is no more sin, Rev. xxii. As for Satan,
that grand enemy, that went about like a roaring lion, seek-
ing to devour them, they shall then tread him under their feet:
" Know ye not that the saints shall judge angels? " saith the
apostle. And as for the world, they shall never any more be
insnared either with its frowns or flatteries.

4. White is a badge of honour. The Romans clothed their
nobility in white, as you heard. O what honour is reserved
for the saints of God, his little remnant ! They shall be
honoured with a place among them that stand by in the new
Jerusalem ; yea, they shall be honoured with the white stone
and the new name ; they shall sit with Christ upon his throne,
Rev. iii. 21. They shall be honoured with a crown of burnish-
ed glory: "When the chief Shepherd shall appear, we shall
receive a crown of glory, which fadeth not away." They
shall be honoured with a kingdom : " I appoint unto you a
kingdom, as my Father hath appointed unto me." They shall
be honoured to be assessors with Christ at the last judgment:
" Know ye not that the saints shall judge the world? " they
will applaud the Judge in all his proceedings, and cry, " True
and righteous are thy judgments, Lord God Almighty ; " then
that passage will be fully accomplished, Psal. cxlix. 5 — 9:
" Let the saints be joyful in glory ; let them sing aloud upon
their beds. J^-et the high praises of God be in their mouth,
and a two-edged sword in their hand, to execute vengeance
upon the heathen, and punishments upon the people ; to bind
their kings with chains, and their nobles with fetters of iron ;
to execute upon them the judgment written. This honour
have all his saints. Praise ye the Lord."

5. White was a garment appointed for the priests under the
law, when they were to minister about holy things. The
saints of God are all priests, Rev. i. 5, 6 : " Unto him that
loved us, and hath made us kings and priests unto God." And
as priests in the heavenly temple, their continual work shall
be, to offer up eternal sacrifices of praise to God and the
Lamb. There every bird in every bush shall sing, and say,
" Worthy is the Lamb that was slain, and hath redeemed us
unto God by his blood. Salvation to our God, which sitteth
upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever."

6. We find the angels frequently appearing in white. Acts
i. 10; while the disciples are looking towards heaven after
their exalted Lord, "behold two men," that is, two angels in
the form of men, " stood by them in white apparel." So the

k] their garments clean in an evil day. 49

saints shall walk with Christ in white ; they shall be like the
angels of heaven : Matth. xxii. 30 : " In the resurrection, they
are as the angels of God in heaven." The original word
signifies, they shall be equal to angels, or angels' mates. Like
angels, they shall not be liable to hunger, thirst, weariness,
or such bodily infirmities. The angels are said to " behold
the face of God in heaven ; " so shall ye who are God's little
remnant : " Now ye see darkly, as through a glass ; but then
ye shall see face to face." The angels serve God with the
greatest voluntariness and freedom, with the greatest activity
and nimbleness; for "he maketh his angels spirits, and his
ministers a flame of fire;" so shall the saints in glory; they
shall do the will of God, as it is done by the angels in heaven.

7. We find Christ sometimes appearing in white, particu-
larlv at his transfiguration : " His countenance did shine as
the' sun, and his raiment was white as the light." And so it
may import this much, they shall walk with me in white ; that
is, there shall be a blessed conformity between them and me in
s;lory. Rev. xix. 11, 14. Christ is there represented as mounted
upon "a white horse," and the armies which were in heaven
followed him upon white horses, "clothed in fine linen, white
and clean." Christ, and all his redeemed company, shall be
clothed with the same livery : 1 John iii. 2 : " When he shall
appear, we shall be like him ; for we shall see him as he is."
Their souls shall resemble him in righteousness and true ho-
liness; yea, " their vile bodies shall be made like unto his
glorious body."

8. Lastly, White has a great reflection of light with it when
the sun shines upon it. O how bright and dazzling will the
glory of the saints be in that day, when the Sun of righteous-
ness shall shine upon them with a meridian splendour ! Christ
will then "be admired in his saints;" for they shall "shine
forth like the sun, and like the brightness of the firmament:"
" the beauty of the Lord their God will then be upon them ; "
and such beauty as shall eternally astonish and confound the
wicked, who contemned them upon earth, and did not reckon
them worthy to sit with the dogs of their flock." And this
much for the fourth thing.

V. The fifth thing was, to inquire into the connexion between
the duty and the privilege, between keeping the garments clean,
and walking with Christ in white.

1. Then, negatively, you would know, that there is no con-
nexion of merit, as if our keeping of clean garments did deserve
that we should walk with Christ in white : no, no ; let " every
mouth be stopped ; for all the world is guilty before God ; "
and therefore can merit nothing but wrath and vengeance at
the hand of God. " By the works of the law shall no flesh

vol. i. 5

50 god's little remnant keeping [ser.

living be justified," or saved ; it is by the merits of Christ, his
doing and dying, as the surety of the tittle remnant, that they
are brought to walk with him in white. But though there be
no connexion of merit, yet,

2. And positively, there is, 1st, A connexion of decree or
purpose in this matter. God, by an unalterable decree, has
ordained, that they who are holy shall be happy ; that they
who keep their garme?its clean shall walk with him in white.
2 Thess. ii. 13: "God hath from the beginning chosen us to
salvation, through sanctification of the Spirit, and belief of the
truth." 2dly, There is a connexion of promise, as well as of
purpose. You have them linked together in this promise in
the text, and every where almost through the scriptures of
truth. You have a cluster of these promises in the second and
third of the Revelation: "To him that overcometh," which is
the same thing with keeping the garments clean, " will I give
to eat of the hidden manna." And this link is so strong, that
it can never be broken; for it is one of these "immutable
things, wherein it is impossible for God to lie." 3dly, There
is a connexion of meelness or congruity. It is suitable, that
these who are holy should be happy ; that they who have
white garments here, should be clothed with white hereafter.
It is suitable to the nature of God ; for he " cannot behold
iniquity, neither can evil dwell with him : " none but holy ones
shall enjoy a holy God. It is suitable to the work of heaven ;
for " no unclean thing can enter the gates of the new Jerusa-
lem;" to this purpose is the last clause of our text, They
shall 7valk with me in white, for they are worthy, or meet, as (he
word may be rendered, Col. i. 12: "Giving thanks unto the
Father, who hath made us meet to be partakers of the in-
heritance of the saints in light." Alhly, There is a connexion
of evidence. Holiness, or clean garments, is an evidence of
the soul's title or claim to glory ; for " whom he sanctified,
them he also glorified." " Who is the man that shall ascend
into the hill of God '( and who shall stand in his holy place? "
The answer is, " He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart,"
Psal. xxiv. 3, 4. blhly, There is a connexion of legacy. Christ,
by his latter will, has ensured the kingdom to his little rem-
nant that keep their garments clean : Luke xxii. 28, 29 :
"Ye are they. who have continued with me in my tempta-
tions. And I appoint unto you a kingdom, as my Father hath
appointed unto me."

VI. The sixth thing is the application. And the first use
shall be of information, in these particulars.

1. See hence, holiness is to be studied and pursued, how-
ever it may be ridiculed and mocked at by a profane world ;
for it is they that do not defile their garments that shall walk

I.] THEIR GARMENTS CLEAN IN AN EVIL DAY. 51

with Christ in white. The blind world is ready to imagine,
that the way to heaven is not so strait and narrow as minis-
ters call it ; that there needs not be so much ado, and all is
but a piece of needless nicety, preciseness, and the like. But
remember, that strict holiness will carry the day at the long-
run ; and you that are for a lax religion, and a broad way to
heaven, will at length land in hell, unless mercy and repen-
tance prevent. "Walk circumspectly," therefore, "not as
fools, but as wise," &c.

2. See from this doctrine, that they labour under a dam-
nable mistake, who think or say, that it is a vain or unpro-
fitable thing to serve the Lord, and to keep his way ; for
they that walk with Christ here, shall partake of his glory
hereafter: "Godliness," saith the apostle, "is great gain, having
the promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to
come." Religion carries a reward in its bosom, beside the
reward that is prepared for the saints in the life to come. " In
keeping of thy commandments," says David, " there is a great
reward. — O how great is the goodness thou hast laid up for
them that fear thee ! " &c. " Eye hath not seen, nor ear
heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things
which God hath prepared for them that love him," 1 Cor. ii. 9.

3. We may see, that gospel-purity and holiness is not such
a common thing as the world apprehend ; for there are but
a few names, few persons that are helped to keep their gar-
ments clean. My friends, beware of taking every thing for
holiness that has the shadow and appearance of it." Some are
ready to think, that their garments are clean enough, if they
keep free of gross scandalous outbreakings, such as lying,
swearing, stealing, uncleanness, and the like ; but the proud
Pharisee came this length, who said, " God, I thank thee, I
am not as other men; I am no extortioner, adulterer, or in-
jurious person," &c. Some think their garments clean, if
they be moral in their walk, just in their dealings between
man and man. I wish, indeed, there were more morality
among these that profess the name of Christ. But, O sirs,
mere morality, in the highest degree now attainable, comes in-
finitely short of the nature of true holiness ; it is quite another
thing : and to put morality in the room of gospel-holiness, is
in effect to renounce Christ and the covenant of grace, and to
run back to Adam's covenant for life and salvation. Some
think their garments clean enough, because of some personal
reformation that they have made in their outward walk ; they
have left off lying, swearing, drunkenness, uncleanness, and
the like. But this will not amount to true holiness. Herod
reformed his life, and did many things through the ministry of
John the Baptist, and yet beheaded him at last. Some reckon

52 god's little remnant keeping [ser.

upon their diligence in the outward duties of religion : they
read, hear, pray, communicate, and run the round of outward
performances, and thereupon conclude, that they are holy per-
sons. But who more diligent in the externals of religion than the
Pharisees, who " fasted twice a week, and gave tithes of all
that they possessed ? " and yet Christ tells us, that " except
our righteousness exceed the righteousness of the scribes and
Pharisees, we cannot enter into the kingdom of heaven." So
that, I say, gospel-holiness is no common thing.

4. See hence, that the division of mankind, and particular-
ly of these that live in the visible church, between Christ and
the devil, is very unequal as to the number; for the greatest
part even of the visible church, go to the devil's share, for
there are but a few names in Sardis that do not defile their gar-
ments. Christ's flock is a little Jlock : " I will take them one
of a city, and two of a family," or tribe, " and bring them to
Zion." It is true, they will be a great company, and make
a goodly appearance, when they shall be gathered by the
angels from the four winds of heaven ; but yet they are only
like the gleanings after the vintage, in comparison of the vast
multitudes of mankind that run in the broad way to destruc-
tion.

5. See hence what it is that sweetens the pale countenance
of the king of terrors to believers ; it is this, they see that
upon the back of death, they will be admitted to walk with
Christ in white. This made the apostle to long so vehemently
for his dissolution, saying, " I have a desire to depart, and to
be with Christ." Faith's views and prospect of this makes
the believer to triumph over death, as a vanquished and slain
enemy, saying, " O death ! where is thy sting ? O grave !
where is thy victory ?"

6. See hence what they may expect upon the back of
death, who habitually wallow in the puddle of sin. It is only
they that have clean garments, that shall walk with Christ in
glory ; and therefore it inevitably follows, that the gates of
glory shall be shut upon you : Rev. xxi. 27 : " There shall
in nowise enter into it any thing that defileth, neither what-
soever worketh abomination or maketh a lie." And ver. 8 :
" The fearful and unbelieving, and the abominable, and mur-
derers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and
all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burnetii with
fire and brimstone." O sirs ! you that live and die in this
condition, with the guilt and filth of sin and lying on your
consciences, you will find a sting in death which will stick in
your souls through eternity : for it is only God's little remnant,
" whose garments are washed and made white in the blood
of the Lamb," that shall triumph with him in glory ; while

I.] THEIR GARMENTS CLEAN IN AN EVIL DAY. 53

you that wallow in sirr now, shall be found weltering in the
flames of Tophet.

7. See hence, that honesty is the best policy in a declining
time; for it is only the honest-hearted remnant that shall
walk with Christ above. Keep God's ways, sirs, whatever
come ; and beware of sinful shifts to shun the cross : " They
that walk uprightly shall walk surely ;" whereas, they who
think to shun danger by shifting duty, really run themselves
into greater danger and inconveniencies, than those which
they imagined to avoid.

Use 2d, may be of lamentation, that there are so many foul
garments among us at this day. Alas ! sirs, may we not say,
that there are but afezo names in Scotland, that have not de-
filed their garments with the corruptions and pollutions of the
time ? All ranks have corrupted their ways, magistrates, mi-
nisters, and people. May not the character which God gave
of Israel of old, be too justly applied to us, Is. i. 4 : that we
are " a sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, a seed of
evil doers, children that are corrupters, who have provoked
the holy One of Israel unto anger, and are gone away back-
ward ?" I cannot now stand to show wherein we have de-
filed our garments. Has not the land been defiled with the
blood of many of the saints of God under the late reigns, from
which it is not as yet purged ? Is not the whole land defiled
with breach of solemn national engagements, while these so-
lemn covenants have been scandalously burnt in the capital
city of the nation, and that by the countenance and command
of authority? And are there not many at this day amongst
us, who profess to be of the communion of the church of Scot-
land, that renounce and disown the obligation of these so-
lemn ties? Are not many defiling their garments with Armi-
nian and Socinian heresies? others with a superstitious wor-
ship, which, to the reproach of our holy religion, is tolerated
among us by law ? Have not many defiled their garments in
our land, with a customary swearing by the name of God 1
others by juggling with God in the matter of solemn oaths,
abjuring a Popish Pretender, with a design to put themselves
in a better capacity to do him service, and promote his in-
terest? Others have, even in this province, lately defiled
their garments, by putting their hands to scandalous libels,
by way of address to the sovereign : in which they represent
ministers as rebels against authority, for appointing fasts, and
preaching against the sins of the time, and for giving warning
to people of the tokens of God's anger that are visible among
us. And, alas ! may we not all lament, that we have defiled
our garments, by the breach of sacramental and sick-bed
vows? But I must not stand on these things.

5*

54 god's little remnant keeping [ser.

Use 3d, is of trial and examination. Try, sirs, whether you
be among God's little remnant, that are keeping their gar-
ments clean, when all round about you are defiling themselves.
And, for your trial, I offer you the few following marks of
God's remnant : —

1. God's remnant are a people to whom Christ is exceed-
ingly precious. His very name is unto them as ointment poured
forth; they love to hear of him, they love to speak of him,

and their meditations of him are sweet ; " the desire of their
soul is unto him, and the remembrance of his name ;" and
they are ready to say with David, " Whom have I in heaven
but thee'?" &c, or with Paul, "I count all things but loss
for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my
Lord."

2. God's remnant are a people that do not reckon them-
selves at home while they are here. This is not their pro-
per country ; but " they look for a better country, that is a
heavenly," Heb. xi. 16. They " look for a city that hath
foundations, whose builder and maker is God," ver. 10. See
this to be the character of God's remnant, ver. 13; the apos-
tle tells us of these worthies, that " they confessed they were
strangers and pilgrims on the earth." This confession David
makes, Psal. cxix. 19 : "I am a stranger in the earth, hide
not thy commandments from me." So then, if your home
be here, you are none of God's remnant ; if your thoughts
and affections be confined within the narrow limits of time.
God's remnant are a people that are "coming up from the
wilderness;" they are always ascending and mounting hea-
venward, in their affections and desires: they "look not at
the thTngs that are seen, but at the things that are not seen."

3. God's remnant are a people that speak and think much
on God. See this to be their character, Mai. iii. 16: " Then
they that feared the Lord, spake often one to another, and a
book of remembrance was written before him for them that
feared the Lord, and that thought upon his name." Try your-
selves by this. It is the character of the wicked, that "God
is not in all their thoughts ;" and he is as seldom in their
mouths, except in a way of profanation. But God's remnant,
I say, think much on God ; and their thoughts of God, O
how precious are they to their souls! Psal. cxxxix. 17; and
out of the abundance of their hearts their mouths speak ho-
nourably and reverently of him. They will speak to one an-
other of his word, of his works, of his providences, and of his
ordinances ; their " lips are like lilies, dropping sweet-smelling
myrrh."

4. God's remnant are a praying people : Psal. xxiv. 6 :
" This is the generation that seek thy face, O Jacob !" or, " O

I.] THEIR GARMENTS CLEAN IN AN EVIL DAY. 55

God of Jacob !" whereas it is given as the character of the
wicked, Psal. xiv. 4, that they call not upon God. They either
live in the total neglect of this duty ; or, if they do it at all,
it is in a hypocritical, formal, and overly manner. But God's
remnant seek the face of God; they seek him with ferven-
cy, with truth in the inward parts ; they seek him believing-
ly ; they seek him constantly and perseveringly, which the
hypocrite will not do: Job xxvii. 10: "Will he delight him-
self in the Almighty ? will he always call upon God?"

5. GodJe remnant are a mourning people. They mourn
over their own sins, in the first place: Ezek. vii. 16. The
remnant of Jacob " that escape, they shall be on the moun-
tains like doves of the valleys, every one mourning for their
iniquity." They mourn over the errors of their hearts, and
the iniquity of their lives, and are ready to cry out, " Innu-
merable evils have compassed me about, mine iniquities have
taken hold on me," &c. And then they mourn, not only for
their own personal sins, but for public sins ; the sins of others,
by which the land is defiled : " Rivers of waters run down
mine eyes, because they keep not thy law ; I beheld trans-
gressors, and was grieved." That this is the character of
God's remnant, you may see from Ezek. ix. 4 : " Go through
the city, and set a mark upon the foreheads of the men that
sigh, and cry for all the abominations done in the midst there-
of." And then they mourn for the calamities and desolations
of Zion, when they see " the boar out of the wood wasting
her, and the wild beasts out of the forest devouring her :"
Psal. cxxxvii. 1 : " By the rivers of Babylon we sat down, and
wept when we remembered Zion." And then they mourn
when they see ordinances corrupted, or God's candlestick in
any measure removed, the Lord's people deprived of their
wonted freedom and liberty in waiting upon him in these gal-
leries: Zeph. iii. 18: "I will gather them that are sorrowful
for the solemn assembly, to whom the reproach of it was a
burden."

6. God's remnant are a people that will rather venture
upon suffering than sinning. They rather venture to run the
risk of displeasing kings and queens, potentates and parlia-
ments, than venture upon the displeasing of God : they can
rather venture on the rack of outward torments, than upon
the rack of an accusing conscience. See this to be the cha-
racter of God's remnant in the three children, Dan. iii. &c. ;
and Moses, (Heb. xi. 27,) " who forsook Egypt, not fearing the
wrath of the king." Many other marks of God's remnant
might be insisted upon. They are a people that cannot live
without Christ, and fellowship and communion with him, Cant,
iii. 1 ; Job xxiii. 3 : " 0 that I knew where I might find him!

56 god's little remnant keeping [ser.

that I might come even to his seat !" They are a people that
will not rest in their attainments, but press towards the utter-
most of grace and holiness, Phil. iii. 12. They press after
more nearness to Christ, Cant. viii. 1. They love holiness for
itself, Psal. cxix. 140. Christ for himself; yea, they love hea-
ven for Christ and holiness. In a word, they love holiness, be
the event what it will.

Use 4, is of exhortation. Is it so, that God's remnant, who
are privileged to walk zcith Christ in zvhile, are such as keep
their garments clean ? O then ! let me exhort all hearing
me, particularly you who have been professing yourselves
among the number of God's remnant, by drawing near to him
in the holy ordinance of his supper; let me, I say, exhort
you to keep your garments clean; be exhorted to the study
of true gospel-holiness, both in heart and life. And, by way
of motive, I would have you to consider these things following.

Motive 1. Consider, that you are in continual hazard of de-
filing your garments. You are in danger from every quar-
ter: As, 1st, You are in danger from the world. There are
many things in the world that are of a very defiling and pol-
luting nature. There are many polluting opinions broached
in the world, which go very glib away with nature, and
which nature is very ready to catch at and embrace ; as,
That God is altogether made up of mercy, and will never
damn any of his creatures : That Christ died for all : That
morality runs parallel with grace : That an empty profession
is enough to save folk: That it is better to keep the body
whole than the conscience pure : That to be zealous for reli-
gion is to be " righteous overmuch." These, and many other
such opinions, arc of a polluting nature; and we are in dan-
ger, of defiling ourselves with them. And then, the examples
of the world are very infectious; the examples of magistrates
and ministers, as you see from Hos. v. 1 : " Hear ye this, O
priests ; give ye ear, O house of the king ; because ye have
been a snare on Mizpeh, and a net spread upon Tabor." And
then you are in danger from the example of professors, who,
perhaps, have a great name for religion in the church of God.
O ! will you say, such a man doth so and so, and why may
not I do it also? But remember, sirs, that there are many
hypocrites in the church of God, that go under a mask of re-
ligion. And supposing them to have the reality of grace, yet
they may be under a spiritual decay; they may be sadly
deserted of God : And do you think, that in this case
they are to be imitated ? And besides, suppose them to
be ever such eminent persons, yet, according to the apos-
tle's direction, we are to be followers of them no farther
than they are followers of Christ. And besides, we are in

I.] THEIR GARMENTS CLEAN IX AN EVIL DAY. 57

danger from the frowns and flatteries of the world. If the
world cannot get us allured into sin by its enticing promises,
it will study to drive us into a compliance, by threats of trou-
ble and persecution. Thus, I say, we are in imminent dan-
ger from the world. The apostle James exhorts us to " keep
ourselves unspotted from the world," chap. i. 27. 2dly, You
are in danger from Satan, that subtle and malicious enemy,
who " goes about as a roaring lion, seeking whom he may de-
vour." He waits for your halting, and is always ready to
trip up your heels. And I assure you, sirs, if you have got
any love-token from the Lord at this occasion, this enemy
will do his best, or worst rather, to you and it. It was but a
little after Peter had been feasting with Christ, at this holy
ordinance of the supper, that Christ told him, (Luke xxii. 31,)
" Simon, Simon, Satan hath sought to winnow thee as wheat."
And therefore you had need to be on your guard as to this ene-
my, and labour " not to be ignorant of his devices." 3dly,
You are in danger of defiling your garments from your own
hearts. My friends, would not that city be exposed to great
danger, which is not only besieged with an army from with-
out, but has a strong and powerful party within, that keeps
a correspondence with the enemy without, and is ready to
comply with all his demands? Just so is it with us: we are
not only besieged with the world, and with Satan, who are
our enemies without ; but there is a strong party of indwel-
ling sin and corruption within us, that is ready, upon all oc-
casions, to betray us into our enemies' hands. This made
David cry out, " Who can understand his errors V and Paul,
" Wretched man that I am, who will deliver me from the
body of this death !" So much for the first motive.

Mot. 2. By keeping your garments clean, you comply and
fall in with God's great design in all his dispensations towards
you, whether more immediate or mediate. God's great end
in all is to bring his people to the study of gospel-purity and
holiness. This is the design of his electing some of the poste-
rity of Adam from all eternity : Eph. i. 4 : " He hath chosen
us in him, before the foundation of the world, that we should
be holy, and without blame before him in love." It is a very
foolish way of arguing that some people have : If I be elected,
I shall be saved, let me live as I list ; for God, like all other
wise agents, not only decrees the end, but the means leading
to that end. Now, holiness is the King's high-way, in which
he has ordained and decreed to bring the elect to glory : 2
Thes. ii. 13: "God hath chosen us from the beginning to sal-
vation, through sanctification of the Spirit, and belief of the
truth." This is the design of redemption. Christ did not die,
sirs, to purchase a latitude for us to sin : No, no : Tit. ii. 14 :

58 god's little remnant keeping [ser.

" He gave himself for us, to redeem us from all iniquity, and
purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works."
This is the design of our creation. Why did you get a being,
but that you might glorify and serve God 1 " This people
have I formed for myself, that they may show forth my
praise." And this is not only the design of our first, but of
our second creation ; "for he hath created us in Christ unto
good works." This is the design of our effectual calling;
" for God has not called us unto uncleanness, but unto holi-
ness :" no ; " he hath saved us, and called us with a holy call-
ing." This is the design of the whole word of God. Why
has God privileged us with his statutes and testimonies, but
that they may be " a light to our feet, and a lamp to our path,"
to keep us out of the polluting ways of sin ? Psal. cxix. 9.
" Whereby shall a young man cleanse his way, but by taking
heed- thereto, according to thy word ?" This is the design of
the promises of the word. However carnal persons may
make the promises a pillow of security, yet God's design in
giving them, is to excite his people to keep clean garments :
2 Cor. vii. 1 : " Dearly beloved, having these promises, let us
cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, per-
fecting holiness, in the fear of God." This is the design of
the threatenings of the word, that so men, knowing the ter-
ror of God, may be persuaded to keep at a distance from sin,
the abominable thing that his soul hates, and may not defile
their garments therewith. This is the design of all provi-
dences by which God exercises his people. Why doth God
cast thee into the furnace ? O man ! his design is to purge
away thy dross : Is. xxvii. 9 : "By this, therefore, shall the
iniquity of Jacob be purged, and this is all the fruit to take
away his sin." The Lord chastens us, that we may be
"partakers of his holiness," Heb. xii. 10. This is the design,
not only of cross, but of favourable providences. " The good-
ness of God" should " lead us to repentance," and lays a deep
obligation on us to stand off from sin, which is offensive to our
gracious Benefactor. This is the design, not only of all pro-
vidences, but of all ordinances, and of the whole dispensation
of the grace of God in the gospel : Tit. ii. 11, 12 : " For the
grace of God, that bringeth salvation, hath appeared to all
men ; teaching us, that, denying ungodliness and worldly* lusts,
we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present
world." This is the design, not only of the preaching of the
word, but of the administration of the sacraments. In bap-
tism, we are solemnly devoted to the service of God, and are
engaged to walk as those that are called by " the name of
Christ," who are bound " to depart from iniquity." And in
the sacrament of the Lord's supper, we solemnly renew, be-

I.] THEIR GARMENTS CLEAN IN AN EVIL DAY. 59

fore God, angels, and men, our baptismal engagements, and
swear to keep our garments clean from the pollution of sin ;
and that by laying our hands on the body and blood of the
Lord Jesus. This is the design of every frown, and of every
smile. Doth God at any time fill thee with "joy and peace
in believing ?" lifts he up the light of his countenance upon
thee? The language of this is, O do not defile thy garments!
" God will speak peace unto his people, and to his saints ; but
let them not return again to folly." And why doth God at
any time hide his face, and leave thee in the dark, but to en-
gage you to more tenderness in time to come, in keeping at a
distance from these pollutions, by which he has been pro-
voked to forsake thee 1 Thus, I say, if you do not keep your
garments clean, you counteract the great design of God in all
his dispensations towards you. How dangerous is it to be
found fighting against God !

Mot. 3. Consider the dismal effects that will follow upon
your defiling your garments. 1st, You will ruin your reputa-
tion, and render your names unsavoury in the world. And
this is no small loss ; for " a good name," says Solomon, " is
as precious ointment," and renders a man capable to do ser-
vice to God in his day and generation. In Prov. vL 33, it is
said of the adulterer, "A wound and dishonour shall he get,
and his reproach shall not be wiped away." When profes-
sors of religion, or ministers, defile their garments by sin, espe-
cially sins of a public nature, they wound their reputation,
bring a reproach upon themselves that is not easily wiped
away ; and not only so, but make the word of the Lord, in
their mouths, to be contemned and despised. You may read
a scripture for this, Mai. ii. 8, 9 : It is spoken of the priests of
that day, " Ye are departed out of the way ; ye have caused
many to stumble at the law ; ye have corrupted the covenant
of Levi, saith the Lord of hosts. Therefore have I also made
you contemptible and base before all the people, according as
ye have not kept my ways, but have been partial in the law."
2dly, You will stain and pollute your souls, which you ought
to keep pure as a holy temple unto God. And how danger-
ous a thing this is, you may see from 1 Cor. iii. 16, 17 :
" Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the
Spirit of God dwelleth in you 1 If any man defile the tem-
ple of God, him shall God destroy." My friends, you have
been solemnly consecrating your souls and bodies unto God,
as his temple; and if any of you shall after this return with
the dog to his vomit, and with the sozv, that seemed to be washed,
to wallow again in the puddle of sin, you run a very dreadful
risk. Utter " destruction from the Lord, and from the glory
of his power," is abiding all those that are hypocrites in heart.

60 god's little remnant keeping [ser.

And dreadful temporal destruction from the Lord may over-
take even his own children, who defile their garments : " For
this cause many are weak and sickly, and many sleep."
2dly, You will break your peace, and mar your comfort. If
you keep not your garments clean, you may provoke the
Lord to fill you with terrors, and to cast such a spark of hell-
fire into your bosoms as shall make you roar, and cry out of
broken bones, with David ; or, with Job, " The arrows of the
Almighty are within me, the poison whereof drinketh up my
spirit." 4lhhj, You will cast a blot upon religion, and on " the
good ways of the Lord." If you who have been professing to
own Christ at his table, shall be found defiling your garments,
by lying, swearing, drunkenness, or the like, what will the
graceless world say? They will conclude, that professors are
but a company of hypocrites; that religion is nothing but a
piece of trick and imposture. You will be a blemish to Chris-
tian society : " These are spots," says the apostle, " in your
feasts of charity." And he speaks of some, who, through their
untenderness, " made the way of the Lord to be evil spoken of."
Blhly, You will dishonour Christ, that glorious Master whom
you have been professing to own. Hence the Lord complains of
the children of Israel, that they, by their wickedness, caused
his "name to be polluted among the Heathen." David's sin
made the name of God to be blasphemed and reproached.
Qthly, By polluting your garments, you will "offend the genera-
tion of the righteous ; " and " it were better for you that a mill-
stone were hanged about your necks, and ye cast into the midst
of the sea, than that ye should offend one of Christ's little
ones." It is a dangerous thing to grieve the hearts of those
that are dear unto God; for God will not grieve their hearts;
and he will resent it, if any other do it by their untenderness.
Ithhj, You will harden others in their sins. When the wicked
see professors, or ministers, going along with them, they con-
clude, that their way is the best of it, and preferable to the
way of religion. Thus, you see the dismal effects that will fol-
low upon your defiling your garments.

Mot. 4. Consider the great advantages that shall accrue
to you by keeping your garments clean. 1st, It will yield
you great peace ; peace in life ; for " as many as walk accord-
ing to this rule, peace shall be upon them." Peace in the
midst of all troubles: " This is our rejoicing, the testimony of
a good conscience." Peace at death: Psal. xxxvii. 37 : " Mark
the perfect man, and behold the upright ; for the end of that
man is peace." Peace after death. In Is. lvii. 2, we are told,
that " the righteous," at death, " enter into peace; they rest
upon their beds, each one walking in his uprightness." Peace
at the last judgment. It is only the cleanly remnant to whom

I.] THEIR GARMENTS CLEAN IN AN EVIL DAY. 61

the Lord will say then, "Lift up your heads; for the day of
your redemption draweth nigh." 2dly, By keeping clean gar-
ments, you will be in a continual fitness for maintaining fel-
lowship and communion with God in any ordinance of his ap-
pointment; for it is the man that "hath clean hands, and a
pure heart," that shall stand on God's holy hill, and have a
place in his tabernacle. And not only so, but it will fill you
with a holy boldness and confidence, in your approaches to
God in the ordinances of his appointment : Job xi. 14, 15 : " If
iniquity be in thine hand, put it far away," &c. 3dly, The
influences of ordinances will stay the longer upon you, that
you keep your garments clean. What is the reason why the
impression of any thing of God, that we meet with in ordi-
nances, so soon vanishes, like the morning cloud 1 The rea-
son is, the untenderness of our walk : we lie down among the
pots of sin, and this makes God to withdraw from us. We
read of some mountains that are so high, that if men draw
figures in the sand upon the tops of them, they will abide for
many years. The reason is, they are so high, that they are
above the winds and rains. O sirs, if we were living and
walking on high with God, the impression of ordinances would
stay longer with us than they do. 4lhly, By keeping your
garments clean, you will perhaps save the souls of others, and
commend religion to them. Hence is that [direction] of Christ,
(Matth. v. 16,) " Let your light so shine before men, that they
may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in
heaven." bthly, By keeping your garments clean, you will find
more strength to keep yourselves: " for the way of the Lord
is strength to the upright." If ye keep God's way, he will
" keep you in the hour of temptation," Rev. iii. 10. God will
keep you by his power through faith unto salvation. Qlhly,
After a little time is elapsed, ye shall be clothed in white, and
walk with Christ in the new Jerusalem, according to his pro-
mise in the text.

Now, I conclude all with directions and advices, in order
to your keeping of your garments clean.

1. Be persuaded of your own utter inability to keep your
garments clean by your own power, or the strength of created
grace : for " the way of man is not in himself: it is not in
man that walketh to direct his own steps."

2. Take care that you be united to Christ, the fountain of
holiness; for you do but wash the Ethiopian, while you attempt
to make yourselves clean and holy, while you grow on the
root of the old Adam. You may indeed " wash the outside
of the cup and platter," but you will remain "filthy still" in
the sight of God, till you be created in Christ, the true root of
sanctification: "Can a man gather grapes of thorns, or figs

vol. i. 6

62 god's little remnant keeping [ser.

of thistles?" The tree must be good before the fruit be
good.

3. Being united to Christ, you must make daily use of him
by faith. Do not think, that, when you have first believed
in Christ, your work is done ; no, your life must be a life of
faith. By faith we live, by faith we stand, by faith we work,
by faith we fight; and "whatever we do, in word or deed,"
we must "do all in the name of the Lord Jesus." You must
be always "building up yourselves in your most holy faith,"
and going on from faith to faith ; and whenever you have,
through infirmity, or the prevalency of temptation, defiled
your garments, be sure to run by faith unto the blood of sprin-
kling, that you may get your hearts sprinkled from an evil
conscience.

4. Set God continually before you, and keep up the im-
pression of his all-seeing eye on your spirits: Psal. xvi. 8:
" I have set the Lord always before me : because he is at my
right hand, I shall not be moved."

5. Be much in viewing and meditating on the dismal and
terrible effects of sin ; how it did cast angels out of heaven,
Adam out of Paradise, and brought God's curse upon all his
posterity ; how it brought a deluge on the old world, Sodom
and Gomorrah burnt by fire and brimstone ; bow it made the
earth to swallow up Korah, Dathan, and Abiram.

6. If you would keep your garments clean, O then beware
of going to the utmost length of Christian liberty ; it is dan-
gerous to come too near God's marches. We should take heed
to ourselves, even in the use of things that are in themselves
lawful; "many things are lawful," but every thing lawful is
not at all times " expedient." You would shun every " ap-
pearance of evil ;*' do not stand in the way of temptations,
or occasions of sin. And, in particular, take care to avoid evil
company; for "can a man take fire in his bosom, and his
clothes not be burnt?"

7. Beware of giving your consent and countenance to the
sins of others; for hereby ye shall be "partakers with them
in their sins." We may not only defile our garments by per-
sonal sins, but by the sins of others, when we encourage them
in an evil way, when we assent or consent to them, or do not
faithfully warn and reprove them, or endeavour to reclaim
them.

8. Lastly, Be importunate with God, at the throne of grace,
for guidance and direction ; for " unless the Lord keep the city,
the watchmen watch in vain." Unless his "grace be sufficient
for " us, we will soon be carried down the stream of tempta-
tion and corruption ; for " the way of man is not in himself."
And therefore, I say, plead hard at the throne, 1hat the Lord

I.] THEIR GARMENTS CLEAN IN AN EVIL DAY. 63

would keep you, who " keeps the feet of his saints." And
for this end plead the promise that he has made to his people,
Jer. xxxii. 40: "I will make an everlasting covenant with
them, that 1 will not turn away from them to do them good;
but I will put my fear in their hearts, that they shall not de-
part from me." Zech. x. 12 : "I will strengthen them in the
Lord, and they shall walk up and down in his name, saith
the Lord."

SERMON If.

THE BACKSLIDER CHARACTERIZED; OR, THE EVIL AND DANGER OF
DEFECTION DESCRIBED.*

If any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him. — Hub. x. 38.

[The following Discourse was represented to the commission, May 1725,
by Mr. Alexander Anderson, as if it had been of such a turbulent or
erroneous tendency, that he himself, preaching1 after me, was obliged
publicly to contradict me. The following notes are, to the best of
my remembrance, the ipsissima verba which I delivered at that time.
Whether the doctrines contained therein deserved the character he
gave them before the Reverend Commission, or if he had ground pub-
licly to contradict, I submit to the judgment of the impartial world.]

From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with
him. — John vi. 66.

In the beginning of this chapter, our blessed Lord works a
notable miracle; he feeds five thousand people with five loaves
and two fishes, twelve baskets of fragments remaining. The
multitude is so taken with this miraculous entertainment, that
they would needs make him a king. But our lowly King of
Zion did not affect worldly grandeur, his kingdom not being
of this world ; therefore he withdraws himself, and passes
over the sea to Capernaum. Many of the multitude, whom
he had fed, followed him thither. And there our blessed
Lord takes occasion to preach a very heavenly and spiritual
sermon to them, holding out the necessity of living and feed-

* Preached at Dysart, on a thanksgiving day, after the sacrament, Mon-
day, October 7, 1714.

64 THE BACKSLIDER CHARACTERIZED- [SER.

ing by faith upon him, in order to everlasting life. These
carnal hearers are exceedingly stumbled at the spirituality of
his doctrine, looking upon it as a piece of unaccountable stuff
and nonsense. Upon which they begin to drop off from him,
as the evangelist remarks here, in the words of my text,
From that time many of his disciples went hack, &c.

In which words we may notice, 1. A defection, or going
back from Christ. 2. The season of it : namely, From that
time, or, after he had preached the foregoing sermon. 3.
The cause of it, implied in the time, namely, the spirituality of
his doctrine. 4. The persons guilty of this defection, namely,
professed disciples ; and that not a few, but many of them.
5. The final and irrecoverable nature of their defection, they
zoalked no more with him.

The words are plain and easy; and therefore there is no
need of any critical explication. Wherefore, take this native
observation from them ; namely, —

Doct. " That there are some seasons in which many of
Christ's pretended disciples fall off from him, and that finally
and irrecoverably. From that time many of his disciples went
back, and walked no more with him."

In handling this doctrine, I shall observe the order of the
words, and speak a little,

I. To this defection, or falling off from Christ.

II. Inquire a little into the causes of it.

III. The seasons of it.

IV. The persons guilty of the defection, namely, the disci-
ples.

V. Give a few characters of those who fall off finally, and
walk no more with him.

VI. Apply the whole.

I. I say, I will speak a little of this defection or falling off
from Christ. And here I would, J. Give you some of the scrip-
tural names of it. 2. Speak of the kinds and degrees of it. 3.
Notice some of its ingredients. 4. Mention some of its conco-
mitants.

First, I would give you some scriptural names by which
it is called. And sometimes it is called a looking back: Luke
ix. 62 : " No man putting his hand to the plough, and looking
back, is fit for the kingdom of heaven." My friends, you have
been professing to set your faces heavenward; O beware
of casting a back-look upon your old lovers: "Remember
Lot's wife ;" take heed that God do not set you up as monu-
ments of his vengeance. Again ; it is sometimes called a turn-
ing back : Lam. i, 8 : " Jerusalem sigheth, and turneth back-

II.] THE BACKSLIDER CHARACTERIZED. 65

ward." The way to heaven will not admit of a retreat; you
must still be pressing forward, whatever opposition may be
in your way. Again ; sometimes it is called a drawing back :
Heb. x. 38 : If any man draw back, my soul shall have no plea~
sure in him. Moreover, it is called a sliding back; intimating,
that the people who are not well buckled in religion stand upon
slippery ground: Hos. xi. 7: "My people are bent to backsliding
from me." Furthermore, it is called a falling back: Is. xxviii.
13: 'The word of the Lord was unto them, precept upon
precept, and line upon line; that they might go and fall back-
ward, and be broken, and snared and taken;" and you know
a backward fall is exceedingly dangerous. Lastly, To men-
tion no more, it is called a turning aside. It is said of Israel,
that "they quickly turned aside like a deceitful bow;" which
frustrates the design of the archer, by shooting away, or be-
side the mark. They who "turn aside into crooked ways,"
whatever may be their pretences to religion, miss the mark
of the same, even the " mark and prize of the high calling of
God in Christ Jesus; and shall be led forth," and have their
part "with the workers of iniquity."

Secondly, I come to treat of the kinds and degrees of defec-
tions from Christ. ' And, not to multiply distinctions, which
are more ready to confound than edify hearers, I shall only
mention these two or three: —

1. Defection from Christ is sometimes more universal and
general, of the body of a church and nation together. Thus,
Ephesus, (Rev. ii.) is charged with falling from her first love.
And the whole body of the Israelitish nation are engaged
together in a defection, by going in to worship the idolatrous
calves which Jeroboam erected at Dan and Bethel: and it
was so universal, that the prophet Elijah thought he had been
left alone; though, indeed, the Lord tells him, that he had
" seven thousand in Israel, which had not bowed the knee to
Baal." And sometimes it is more special and particular, as
when a single society, family, or particular person, enters
upon a course of defection and backsliding from Christ and
his ways; of which instances may be afterwards named.

2. Sometimes it is more open and avowed, in contradis-
tinction from the former, by abandoning and relinquishing
the very profession of religion to which they once pretended,
and become openly wicked and flagitious, giving themselves
loose reins in a way of sin. Or, it is more hidden and secret,
when, though there be still a profession of religion kept up ;
yet the power of godliness is quite forsaken, and the heart
maintains a close correspondence with sin, and lives in a se-
cret trade of wickedness, inconsistent with the rules of Chris-
tianity.

6*

66 THE BACKSLIDER CHARACTERIZED. [sER.

3. There is a total, as also a partial defection or falling off
from Christ. A total or final, is that of the wicked and re-
probate, who, when they fall, are like lead, or a stone falling
into deep water, which never rises again; as it is said of Pha-
raoh and his host, "They sank like lead in the mighty waters:"
they make an utter " shipwreck of faith and a good con-
science." A partial defection is incident even to the godly
themselves. I may call it temporary; for they may be left for a
considerable time, to make many woful steps of defection from
Christ and his ways; as is plain from the instances of David,
Peter, Abraham, and many others. But when they fall, they
are like wood or cork, falling into water, who, though they
sink at first, yet they rise again by faith and repentance, which
influence the reformation of their lives, and which, in pursuit
of the divine purpose of grace for their salvation, are actu-
ated in them by the Holy Spirit, according to Psal. xxxvii. 24 :
"Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the
Lord upholdeth him with his hand." The defection here spo-
ken of in the text, seems to have been of the first kinds of
each division. It was general and public ; for there was a
great multitude of them, as we read in the beginning of the
chapter: it was open and avowed; for they put a slight on
Christ in the face of the sun : and it was total and final ; they
walked no more with him, nor looked after Christ any more.

Thirdly, I come to notice some ingredients of this defection
here spoken of. And there appears to have been these things
in it : —

1. A dissatisfaction with Christ, and a vilifying both him
and his way; for they said, ver. 42, " Is not his father and his
mother, and sisters with us ? how then came he down from
heaven 1 "

2. A murmuring and repining against the spirituality of his
doctrine, out of a rooted enmity and prejudice against it : ver.
41: "They murmured at him, because he said, 1 am the
bread of life which came down from heaven : " and again,
"This is a hard saying, who can hear it?"

3. A formal disputing and arguing against his doctrine, as
repugnant to reason. They set up their reason as the stand-
ard of revelation, and will receive nothing but what they
were able to comprehend ; for they strove, or disputed, " amongst
themselves, saying, How can this man give us his flesh to eat?"
ver. 52.

4. A formal casting off with Christ, and turning back to
their old way and trade of living, by which their latter end
was worse than their beginning ; for they went back and fol-
lowed him no more, as in the text.

II."] THE BACKSLIDER CHARACTERIZED. 67

Fourthly, I come to mention some concomitants of defec-
tion from Christ :

1. It is commonly accompanied with a halting and waver-
ing between sin and duty, as Israel did between God and Baal :
"How long," says Elijah to them, "do ye halt between two
opinions 1 If the Lord be God, follow him: but if Baal, then fol-
low him." When this wavering befalls people, they cannot
stand long; for "a double-minded man is unstable in all his
ways," says James. " Their heart is divided ; therefore shall
they be found faulty."

2. It is commonly attended with a mercenary kind of spirit.
For, as secular and worldly interest is the spring of all their re-
ligion ; so it is the spring of their apostacy and defection from
it ; as is plain from what our Lord tells his pretended disciples :
"Ye seek me, not because ye saw the miracles, but because
ye did eat of the loaves, and were filled." Where this mer-
cenary spirit prevails, folk will stand by Christ and religion as
long as it will stand with their selfish and secular designs, but
no longer. Christ, conscience, religion, and every thing, must
truckle to this at length.

3. It is attended with a stretching of Christian liberty to the
uttermost pitch, and a dallying with the appearances of evil.
" O," will the man say, " what needs all this needless nicety
and preciseness? I may adventure thus far, and yet keep in
both with God and a good conscience." Like Eve, who thought
she might tamper with the temptation, without any hazard
of a compliance; or Samson, who thought he might dally with
Delilah, and yet keep in with God. O sirs, it is dangerous
going too near God's marches; for, as one says, he that will
go all the length he may, when occasion serves, will go farther
than he ought.

4. It is attended with a snarling at reproofs. They can-
not abide to have their sores ripped up, and the evil of their
ways discovered. Let ministers preach ever such sound doc-
trine, yet if they but point towards the quarter where their
defections lie, presently they are like wild bulls in a net, full
of fury and resentment. We find too much of this, even in
good men, when engaged in a partial defection. Asa was so
irritated by the reproof of the prophet, that he cast him into
prison, for telling him that he was fallen from his former
confidence in God, when the hosts of the Ethiopians came up
against him. And the Galatians reckoned Paul their "enemy,
because he told them the truth."

With" a snatching at the reputation of those that stand their
ground, or who give any testimony against their defections:
and if they can perceive any such making but the least wrong
step, they are sure to make it as open and public to the world

68 THE BACKSLIDER CHARACTERIZED. [sER.

as possible, and to represent it in the blackest character
imaginable. It is a very true observation, That backsliders
are commonly backbiters. They cannot abide to see any out-
shine themselves in holiness and tenderness ; and therefore
they lie at the catch, to wound the reputation of those that
cannot run the same length with themselves. This made David
pray, " Deliver me, O Lord, from all my transgressions, and
make me not the reproach of the foolish: for when my foot
slippeth, mine enemies do magnify themselves against me."

6. Division is usually the concomitant and fruit of defection.
If we should trace all divisions to their spring, by which the
bowels of the church of God have been rent, since the first
ages of Christianity, we should still find them taking their rise
from the bitter fountain of defection. What was it but the
defections of some in the church of Corinth, that gave birth
to that division, of which the apostle complains, 1 Cor. i. ?
What was it but the defections of the church of Rome, that
has made such a wide breach between Protestants and Papists?
It is true, every party and set of men have preached up peace,
and cried out against division ; as the Papists to this very day,
exclaim against us for making a rupture in the church of Christ :
whereas it is not we, but they themselves, that make the rup-
ture by their defections. We must not say, A confederacy
with any in a way of sin, or purchase peace at the expense
of truth and holiness. This was the sentiment of good old
Jacob on his death-bed, Gen. xlix. 5: "Simeon and Levi are
brethren in iniquity : instruments of cruelty are in their habita-
tions. O my soul, come not thou into their secret," &c. Many
other things might be added as concomitants of defection ; but
I must not stand on them. I go on, therefore, to —

II. The second thing in the text and method, which was, to
inquire a little into the causes of defection. And,

1. The main cause, or rather occasion, of this defection here
mentioned, was the unpleasantness of Christ's doctrine to the
sensual and carnal inclinations of these pretended disciples
mentioned in our text. His doctrine did not suit their hu-
mours, and answer their expectations ; therefore they went
back, and walked no more with him. Just like many among
ourselves, who, if ministers do not preach according to their
fancies, if they be free and faithful, and preach against the de-
fection of which they are guilty, they either turn their backs
on them, or cry out upon them as men of turbulent spirits,
incendiaries, fire-brands, and what not?" But ministers need
not be discouraged on this account, since the apostle's of our
Lord were characterized after the same manner : "These are
they that have turned the world upside down." I fear there
are many among us, who, if they would speak the language of

II.] THE BACKSLIDER CHARACTERIZED. 69

their hearts, would join issue with that people, Isa. xxx. 10 :
"Who said to their seers, See not ; and to the prophets, Prophe-
sy not unto us right things, speak unto us smooth things, prophe-
sy deceits. But, sirs, we need not wonder to see folk stum-
bling at the plain truths of the word, seeing Christ himself is
"set for the fall," as well as for the " rising of many in Israel."

2. The love of worldly riches is another great cause of de-
fection, as is plain from what the apostle says, 1 Tim. vi. 10 :
" The love of money is the root of all evil : which, while some
coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced
themselves through with many sorrows." Where the love
of the world has the ascendant in the heart, the love of God
cannot be strong ; for, " If any man love the world, the love
of the Father is not in him : " and where the love of God is
not, it is impossible for that man to stand his ground.

3. The love of worldly ease is another great cause of de-
fection from Christ, especially in a time of persecution for the
gospel's sake; for then it will be said, as Peter to Christ,
when dissuading him from going up to Jerusalem, Master, spare
thyself; it is best to sleep in a whole skin. But let us remem-
ber what Christ says in this case, Matth. xvi. 25: " Whosoever
shall save his life, shall lose it ; and whosoever shall lose his
life for my sake, shall find it."

4. The fear of man is another cause of defection: "The
fear of man," says Solomon, " bringeth a snare;" especially
the fear of offending and displeasing great men, upon whom
we have any kind of dependence. But, as an antidote against
this, let us compare the wrath of man with the wrath of the
eternal God. Shall we adventure to run upon " the thick
bosses of the Almighty's buckler," to avoid the displeasure of
a worm like ourselves? Is. li. 12 : " Who art thou, that shouldst
be afraid of a man that shall die, and of the son of man, who
shall be made as grass? and forgettest the Lord thy Maker,
that hath stretched forth the heavens, and laid the founda-
tions of the earth 1 " To the same purpose is that caveat given
us by our blessed Lord ; " Fear not man, that can kill the body,
but cannot kill the soul," &c.

5. Bad example has a fatal influence this way ; and espe-
cially the bad example of men of influence and authority, such
as ministers and magistrates. You have a word for this, Hos.
v. 1 : " Hear ye this, O priests, and give ye ear, O house of
the king; for judgment is toward you ; because ye have been
a snare on Mizpeh, and a net spread upon Tabor." When
we have conceived a great veneration for any man, we are
very ready to run after his example. Thus, Gal. ii. 13 : Barna-
bas, with many of the converted Jews at Antioch, were led
away with Peter's dissimulation, who seemed to them a pillar ;

70 THE BACKSLIDER CHARACTERIZED. [SER.

for which Paul withstood him to the very face. Let us always
remember, that we are to be followers of no man, but in so far
as they are followers of Christ.

6. The treachery and deceit of the heart, with its natural
bent and bias towards sin : " The heart is deceitful above all
things, and desperately wicked." That character given Israel
is exceedingly applicable to it, Hos. xi. 7 : " They are bent to
backsliding." There is not only an easiness and ductility in
the heart of man to sin, but a strong propensity and inclina-
tion. So that it was not without sufficient ground that Solo-
mon tells us, Prov. xxviii. 26: "He that trusteth in his own
heart, is a fool." Let us, therefore, advert to that caveat of
the apostle's, Heb. iii. 12: "Take heed, brethren, lest there
be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from
the living God." I might mention many other causes, if time
would allow, such as absolute and downright hypocrisy in their
management with God. If the heart be not " right with God,"
people can never be " steadfast in his covenant." Again ; self-
confidence, when men lean to their own understanding, trust to
their own strength; like Peter, " Though all men should forsake
thee, yet will not 1." These resolutions, that are founded upon
our own strength, will prove like Jonah's gourd, wither, and
come to naught, as soon as ever the wind of temptation blows
on them. We are not to trust any created grace that is in
us, but only the grace that is in Christ Jesus : " Be strong in
the Lord, and in the power of his might." Again ; when folk
voluntarily disband their guard, and slack their watch, they
yield themselves an easy prey to the devil: and therefore,
"Be sober, be vigilant; for your adversary the devil goes about,
as a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour." Again;
when folk do not lay a sure foundation. He that builds must
count the cost. They that have not a root of solid grace in
themselves, will fall away in the time of temptation. And so
much for the causes of defection, the second thing proposed.

III. The third thing was, to inquire a little into the seasons
of defection. The words also give ground for this inquiry:
From that time many of his disciples went back. You may take
these few causes, among many others: —

1. Defections may happen after God has been making very
signal and remarkable appearances in his providence for a
people. Christ, in the beginning of this chapter, had made a
signal, yea, a miraculous appearance, for those people, by
feeding them in a desert place ; and yet a day or two after,
they went back, and walked no more with him. This was the
sin of Israel: God delivers them out of their Egyptian bondage,
in a wonderful way, plaguing their enemies, and dividing the
Red Sea before them ; and yet they soon forgot his mighty

11.] THE BACKSLIDER CHARACTERIZED. 71

works, and turned aside from the right way. And, alas! may
not this aggravate the defections of which we in this land are
guilty, that we have turned aside from God, after many sur-
prising and almost miraculous deliverances that he has wrought
for us ?

2. Defections frequently happen in the midst of the clearest
revelation of the gospel, and when the light of the gospel is
shining with the greatest brightness among a people. This
people here had heard Christ himself preach, who spake as
never man spake; and yet, immediately upon the back of
hearing him, they turned their back upon him; This also ag-
gravates our defections, and abounding sins, that they are un-
der the clearest sunshine of gospel-revelation : " If I had not
come and spoken unto them, they had not had sin ; but now
they have no cloak for their sin."

3. After very solemn professions of love and friendship to
Christ. This people here professed such a kindness to Christ,
that they would needs make him a king ; and they are so taken
with him, that they follow him to the other side of the sea;
and yet, alas! they zvent back, and walked no more with him.
Thus, Israel also, they seemingly professed, that " whatever
the Lord their God should command them," that they would
"observe and do;" but they quickly "turned aside like a de-
ceitful bow." My friends, you have been professing friendship
to Christ, before men and angels, by partaking of the sym-
bols of his body and blood : O take care that you be not found
practically renouncing your sacramental engagements, by en-
tering upon a course of defection. Alas ! may not the defec-
tions of many professors be dated from a communion-table ?
they come away, after they have got the sop, with more of
hell and the devil in them than before.

4. After some remarkable common illumination, and seem-
ing experiences in religion, Heb. vi. &.c. It was a high ag-
gravation of Solomon's sin, that he went astray after the Lord
had several times appeared to him.

5. The time of worldly prosperity. Deut. xxxii. 15 : "Jeshu-
run waxed fat, and kicked." And Hos. xiii. 6: "According
to their pasture, so were they filled : they were filled, and
their heart was exalted ; therefore have they forgotten me."

6. A time of trial and persecution for righteousness' sake,
when enemies are invading the rights and privileges of the
church of Christ, casting fire into his sanctuary, and polluting
the dwelling-place of his name. This is a season in which the
Lord calls for a special testimony for himself at the hand of
professors; and yet even then many fall off, and sail with the
stream. The stony-ground hearers, " when affliction or perse-
cution arises because of the word, immediately they are of-

72 THE BACKSLIDER CHARACTERIZED. [SER.

fended." Rotten fruit usually drops off in a storm; and the
wind commonly drives away the chaff

7. Defection may happen among a people, even when there
is a remnant keeping their ground, and maintaining their in-
tegrity ; as you see here. When the multitude are turning
their back on Christ, he says to his disciples, " Will ye also go
away ? " To which they answered, " Lord, to whom shall we
go but unto thee ? thou hast the words of eternal life." Rev.
iii. 4: "Thou hast a few names even in Sardis, which have
not defiled their garments," &c.

IV. The fourth thing is, to inquire who they are that make
this defection from Christ. We are told here, that they were
disciples; that is, they were so professedly. They pretend-
ed to be disciples, and had gone considerable lengths with
Christ, which had procured for them this character. For,

I. They had entered into Christ's school, and got many a
sweet lesson : but, hearing many things, they did not observe
them.

They were disciples: for they owned him as their Master
and Lord: ver. 25. " When they had found him on the other
side of the sea, they said unto him, Rabbi, when earnest thou
hither?" and, ver. 34: "Lord, evermore give us this bread,"
Of the same kind are these, (Matth. vii. 22,) who cried, " Lord,
Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name?" &e.

3. They were a set of men that had a very fiery edge upon
them for awhile: for they not only followed Christ through the
sea, but they have seemingly very strong desires after Christ,
and the bread of life; saying, "Lord, evermore give us this
bread." But though " with their mouth they pretended much
love, yet their heart went after their covetousness."

4. They are called disciples; for they joined themselves to
the society of the true and real disciples of Christ, and go
along with them, in following Christ for a considerable time;
but yet turn their backs on them at length.

5. They had been eye and ear witnesses of the doctrine and
miracles of Christ: and yet, for all this, they went back, and
zoalked no more with him. Thus, you see upon what account
they might be called disciples.

And now, seeing in the text we are told that they were
many ; hence, therefore, you may take the following observa-
tions or remarks: —

1. That, among the multitude of professors, Christ has com-
monly but a thin backing in a winnowing and sifting time :
There was but a handful that staid with Christ; the greatest
multitude dropped off The heap of corn is but small, when
the straw and chaff are separated from it. Christ's flock is

II.] THE BACKSLIDER CHARACTERIZED. 73

but a little flock : " Many are called, but few are chosen.
Strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto
life, and few there be that find it."

2. As Christ has but a thin backing, so the greatest num-
ber of professors usually dance to the devil's pipe, and com-
ply with the side of the times. Many of them went back,
only the twelve staid behind : " Broad is the way that leadeth
to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat."

3. Defection from Christ is of a very spreading and con-
tagious nature ; " a little of this leaven" is fair to "leaven the
whole lump ; " like a pestilential air, it flies over a whole
country or kingdom in a very little time. Among the many
thousands in Israel, only seven thousand had not bowed to
Baal. There were but "a few names in Sardis, which had
not defiled their garments." Hence it follows, —

4. That the way of the multitude is always to be suspected.
And people are never to think themselves safe enough, be-
cause they have many neighbours ; for we are not to " follow
a multitude to do evil," in regard the way of the multitude is
a way commonly loathed of God.

5. The followers of Christ need not be discouraged because
of the paucity of their number; for it has been so in all ages.
It was so at first, and will be so to the end of the world :
" When the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith in the
earth 1 " And therefore, I say, though you should sit like a
pelican in the wilderness, and owl in the desert; though you
should become the song of the drunkard, and be held for signs
and wonders in Israel, because of the singularity of your way ;
yet be not discouraged at this, for it is far better to go to
heaven alone than to hell in company.

Now, if it be asked, Why the Lord suffers defections among
his professed disciples? I answer, briefly, 1. Because God
will have a difference put " between the precious and the
vile?" 1 Cor. xi. 19: "There must needs be heresies among
you, that they which are approved may be made manifest."
God will have the chaff distinguished from the wheat, the
dross from the true gold; he will have his Israel proved and
tried, that they may be distinguished from others. 2. That
real disciples may be excited to cleave to the Lord with the
more firmness and resolution: "Lord, to whom shall we go,
but unto thee?" said the twelve, when they saw the multi-
tude running away. We have a word to this purpose, Job
xvii. 8, 9 : "The innocent shall stir up himself against the hy-
pocrite;" and then it immediately follows, "The righteous
shall hold on his way, and he that hath clean hands shall add
strength," as in the Hebrew, or " be stronger and stronger ; "
intimating that the defections of hypocrites from the way of

vol. i. 7

74 THE BACKSLIDER CHARACTERIZED. [sER.

the Lord sharpens the resolution of the truly godly in cleav-
ing to him ; for at such a time, God, as it were, is issuing his
proclamation in the camp of Israel, " Who is on the Lord's
side ? " To which we may add, that these defections of pre-
tended disciples do, in a way of righteous judgment, prove
stumbling-blocks to others, by which they are hardened in a
way of sin. And thus a wo falls both upon the offender and
the offended ; according to that of Christ's, Matth. xviii. 7 :
" Wo unto the world because of offences : for it must needs
be that offences come ; but wo to that man by whom the of-
fence cometh."

V. The fifth thing is, to give a few characters of those who
fall off finally, and walk no more ziith Christ. Only, before I
go on, I would premise, that I do not here offer to give posi-
tive marks of an irrecoverable condition ; for who can set
bounds to the infinite grace and mercy of him, to whom no
case is desperate, and " who is able to save to the uttermost"
of sin, and to the uttermost of misery? But all I do is, to of-
fer some melancholy symptoms or presumptions of an irre-
coverable defection.

1. It is a shrewd evidence of a final defection, when people
fall off from the profession and practice of religion, after some
signal, though common, illuminations and irradiations of the
Spirit ; for which you may read Heb. vi. 4 — 6.

2. When people, through the influence of these common
illuminations in the knowledge of Christ, have been led to
make considerable advances in the way of religion, and yet
afterward apostatize, and fall back into the same puddle of
wickedness which they seemed to have escaped. A pregnant
scripture for this you have, 2 Pet. ii. 20, 21.

3. When people knowingly and wilfully venture upon a way
of sin, after they have received the knowledge of the truth:
for which see Heb. x. 26, 27. When folk come that length,
especially after a profession of religion, as to become mockers
of true piety, attempting to ridicule things sacred, and to ban-
ter those out of their religion, whom they think to be aiming
heavenward : this is a black mark of one that is entirely given
up of God ; this being an open proclamation of war against
heaven. " Be not mockers, lest your bands be made strong."

4. Those whose hearts are filled with malice against the
image of God in his people, who nauseate and detest the very
picture of holiness in his people, and so become open perse-
cutors of Christ in his members, and take all methods ima-
ginable to extirpate the name of Christ and Christianity out
of the world : as did the cursed apostate Julian.

5. When people get success and prosperity in a way of sin.
They thirst after sin, and God grants them the desire of their

II.] THE BACKSLIDER CHARACTERIZED. 75

hearts. This is a sign of total and final defection ; for, says,
the Lord, "Backsliders in heart shall be filled with their own
ways." Perhaps, you think all is right, because God in his
providence does not check you in your sinful ways. But as-
sure yourselves, there cannot be a sadder mark of his wrath
and vengeance ; for then he seems to be saying, " They are
joined to their idols, let them alone. — Let him that is filthy, be
filthy still."

6. When, after challenges of conscience, rebukes from the
word and Spirit upon the account of sin, all comes to be hush-
ed up in a profound silence, and the senses of the soul are
locked up in a deep slumber, then it would appear, that God
is saying, as he said to the old world, " My Spirit shall no more
strive with them." They " would not hearken to my voice,
and Israel would none of me. So I gave them up unto their
own hearts' lusts; and they walked in their own counsels. —
I would have purged them, and they were not purged ; there-
fore they shall not be purged from their filthiness any more,
till I have caused my fury to rest upon them." We have a
sad instance of this nature, Is. vi. 10 : There is a people on
whom God had taken a great deal of pains, as we read, chap,
v. He had chosen them as his vineyard, planted them in a
fruitful soil : but all his labour was lost ; they still went on in
a course of defection and apostacy ; " instead of grapes, they
brought forth wild grapes." Well, at length God seals them
up under a stroke of judicial blindness and hardness; so that
no reproof from word, providence, or conscience, should ever
affect them. " Go," says the Lord, " and make the heart of
this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and shut their
eyes ; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears,
and understand with their hearts, and convert, and be healed."

Before I proceed to the application, I shall obviate a ques-
tion which some serious soul may be ready to move, upon
what has been said on the former head ; namely, Wherein
lies the difference between the partial and temporary defec-
tions of the godly, and these total, final, and irrecoverable
apostacies of hypocrites and temporary believers?

To which I answer, 1. The believer, when he is left to
backslide, or to fall into any sin, howls and groans under it;
it lies heavy on him, like a burden too heavy for him to
bear. " Mine iniquities have taken hold upon me, so that I
am not able to look up ; they are more than the hairs of mine
head, therefore my heart faileth me." They can never enjoy
themselves with satisfaction, till they be recovered again. An
instance of this we have in the apostle Peter, after he had
been left to make that foul step of defection, in denying Christ
with curses and imprecations: after Christ gave him but. a

76 THE BACKSLIDER CHARACTERIZED. [sER.

look, he went out, and wept bitterly. The same we see in
David, Psal. li. After he had been guilty of murder and adul-
tery, in the matter of Uriah and Bathsheba, how does he la-
ment and bewail his folly 1 And that which principally
touches them, is not so much the penal, as the moral evil
of their defection ; they are not so much grieved that they
themselves suffer, as that God is dishonoured, and religion
wounded by their means ; as we see in David, Psal. li. 4 :
" Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in
thy sight."

2. They are never at rest, or ease, till they have the guilt
and filth of their sin expiated and washed away by the blood
and Spirit of the Lord Jesus ; and all the world will not quiet
their consciences, till this be obtained. O, says David, after
he had made this foul step, " wash me thoroughly from mine
iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin :" And again, ver. 7 :
" Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean ; wash me, and
I shall be whiter than snow." Whereas the hypocrite, when
he falls, satisfies the clamours of his conscience, either by
extenuating his sin, or by multiplying his duties : " Will the
Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, or ten thousands of
rivers of oil V But he never runs to Christ, to have his " con-
science sprinkled from dead works."

3. The believer, after he has fallen, does not satisfy him-
self with a turning from sin to God, but he must have some
reviving intimations of God's favour and reconciled counte-
nance : as David, (ver. 8 :) " Make me to hear joy and glad-
ness ; that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice."
Though all the world should fawn upon him, yet it will not
please him, unless he get a smile from God himself.

4. When the believer falls, his fall leads him to bewail
the corruption and depravation of his nature. He traces the
streams to the fountain, and sits down there, and weeps over
it, as the cause of all his defections and backslidings from God ;
as David did, (ver. 5:) " Behold, 1 was shapen in iniquity;
and in sin did my mother conceive me :" and looks up to God
for a cast of renewing grace, (ver. 10:) " Create in me a clean
heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me." Whereas
hypocrites bewail the loss of their reputation more than they
do their sin, or the depravation of their nature.

5. When believers fall, they come under fresh engagements,
through grace, to walk more closely with God than ever they
have done before, and endeavour to be more serviceable to
him in their generation than ever; as David, (ver. 12, J 3:)
" Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation ; then will I teach
transgressors thy ways, and sinners shall be converted unto
thee."

II.] THE BACKSLIDER CHARACTERIZED. 77

6. As burnt children dread the fire, believers are afraid of
falling into the same sins again; and for this end indent with
God, not in their own, but only in his strength to keep them;
as David, " Uphold me with thy free Spirit;" and again, else-
where, " Hold up my goings in thy paths, that my footsteps
may not slide :" and Psal. cxix. 5 : " O that my ways were di-
rected to keep thy statutes !" Now, from these marks of the
partial falls of the godly, you may easily gather the difference
between them, and the damnable apostacy and total defec-
tion of hypocrites and reprobates.

And now I go on to the application of this doctrine ; and all
the use I make of it shall be in a word of exhortation. Is it
so, that many of Christ's pretended disciples do, some time
or other, fall totally and finally away from him ? Then let
me exhort and persuade all hearing me, but especially you
who have been lifting up your hands to him at a communion-
table, and professing to be his disciples, by laying your hands
on a slain Redeemer, to endeavour firmness and stability, in
cleaving to Christ and his way. O let it not be said of you,
as it is said of these disciples here, From that time they went
back, and walked no more zvith him.

To enforce this exhortation, consider, Jirst, the evil of apos-
tacy either in part, or in whole.

1. It is a provocation of the highest nature. And there are
especially two evils in it, which cannot but awaken divine re-
sentment; namely, treachery and ingratitude. 1st, There is
treachery in it. What husband would take it well, if his
wife should abandon him, and follow after other lovers. My
friends, you have been taking God for your husband, in a
solemn manner, before angels and men ; and will it not be
treachery in the highest degree, to go and prostitute your
souls to sin, his greatest enemy? Will not this cast a ca-
lumny and reproach upon God, as if others were better than
he? This will make him say, " What iniquity have your
fathers found in me?" &c. " O my people, what have I done
unto thee? and wherein have I wearied thee?" 2c////, There
is ingratitude in it, also. It was a very cutting word that
Christ had to his disciples, in the verse following our text,
"Will ye also leave me ?" The same is he saying to every
one of you : ' Will ye also go away, after such proofs of my
kindness, after such repeated vows and obligations?' From all
which it is evident, that apostacy is a provocation of the highest
nature.

2. Your backsliding will give a deep wound to religion,
and bring up a reproach upon the good ways of God. You
have been owning him as your Lord and Master, and declaring
before the world, that you think his service the best service*

7*

78 THE BACKSLIDER CHARACTERIZED. [SER.

his wages the best wages; that one day in his courts is better
than a thousand. Now, if after all you backslide, will not
the world conclude, that you have not found that in his ser-
vice which you expected 1 And thus others will be scared
from the good ways of the Lord.

3. You will grieve the hearts of the godly, whose hearts
God would not grieve. And it is a dangerous thing to offend
one of his little ones : " It were better for you that a mill-stone
were hanged about your neck, and you cast into the midst of
the sea, than that you should offend one of these little ones."

4. If you shall apostatize in the whole, and slide back with a
perpetual backsliding, it will be a prelude of your eternal
banishment and separation from the presence of God. God's
soul takes no pleasure in backsliders, and therefore they can
never have access into his gracious presence ; consequently,
" shall be punished with everlasting destruction."

5. If you be believers, and apostatize in part, you shall put
a whip in God's hand to chastise you. If you shall after this
turn careless in your walk, more remiss in duty, less frequent,
less fervent, less lively, than before, you may assure yourselves,
that you shall not go unpunished: "You only have I known
of all the families of the earth; therefore I will punish you
for all your iniquities. — If his children forsake my law, and
keep not my commandments ; then will I visit their transgres-
sion with the rod, and their iniquity with stripes."

Secondly, Consider some great advantages of stabillity in
cleaving to Christ, and standing firm to his cause and interest.

1. It will furnish you much inward peace and tranquility of
mind : " Great peace have all they which love thy law." God
tells Israel, that if they had cleaved to him and his way, " their
peace should have been as a river, and their righteousness as
the waves of the sea."

2. It will glorify God, and reflect a lustre upon religion ;
make the world conclude you serve a good Master. Hence is
that of Christ ; " Let your light so shine before men, that they
may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in
heaven."

3. As backsliding strikes a damp upon the spirit at the ap-
proaches of death ; so stability of heart, in the Lord's way,
affords courage and confidence, through Christ, upon the ap-
proach of that grim messenger of the Lord of hosts. Hence
is that of Paul, " I have fought a good fight ; I have finished
my course; I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid
up for me a crown of righteousness," &c.

4. The reward of grace is ensured in Christ to the steadfast
soul : 1 Cor. xv. 58. " Be ye steadfast, immoveable, always
abounding in the work of the Lord, and your labour shall not

II.] THE BACKSLIDER CHARACTERIZED. 79

be in vain in the Lord." Remember, that your title to the re-
ward comes in by virtue of your union with Christ ; and O
how glorious is that reward the steadfast soul is entitled to
through him ! It has a kingdom secured to it : "Ye are they
which have continued with me in my temptations; and I ap-
point unto you a kingdom." A throne : Rev. iii. 21 : " To him
that overcometh, will I grant to sit with me in my throne."
A crown is secured ; a crown of life : " Be thou faithful unto
death, and I will give thee a crown of life." A crown of glory :
"When the chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a
crown of glory, which fadeth not away." A crown of righteous-
ness, which is " laid up for all that keep the faith, and love
his appearing." A crown of joy, yea a crown of everlasting
joy, shall be " upon their heads, and sorrow and sighing shall
fly away."

I conclude with two or three advices : —

1. Take care that the foundation be well laid, upon the
everlasting Rock Jesus Christ; for this is the foundation that
God hath laid in Zion, and another foundation can no man lay.
You must be cemented to this foundation by the Spirit and
faith, otherwise you can never stand in a day of trial ; for your
root being rottenness, your " blossom shall go up as the dust."
The house built upon the sand fell, when the floods came, and
the winds blew and beat upon it ; but the house founded upon
this rock shall stand out against the utmost efforts of the gates
of hell.

2. Maintain an everlasting jealousy over your own hearts;
for "he that trusteth in his own heart is a fool," considering
that it is "deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked."
Particularly take heed of the workings and sproutings of the
bitter root of unbelief, which causes to depart from the living
God, Heb. iii. 12.

3. Keep your eyes upon the promises of persevering grace,
particularly that, Jer. xxxii. 40: "I will make an everlasting
covenant with them, that I will not turn away from them to
do them good; but I will put my fear in their hearts, that
they shall not depart from me." If you plead and improve
this promise by faith, it is impossible you can draw back ; for
it is " impossible for God to lie." God stands on both sides
of the covenant, to fulfil both his and our part of the same;
and therefore plead, that he may fulfil his in you, that he
would keep you by his "power, through faith unto salvation."

4. Keep a steady eye on Christ, the blessed Mediator of the
covenant." Eye him as the store-house and fountain of all
your supplies of grace and strength; for it is "out of his ful-
ness that we receive, and grace for grace." Eye him as your
Captain, to fight all your battles against sin and Satan ; for

80 THE BACKSLIDER CHARACTERIZED. [SER. II.

he has " spoiled principalities and powers ;" and if ever we
overcome, it must be in the blood and strength of the Lamb.
Eye him as your guide, to lead you through all the dark and
difficult steps of your pilgrimage ; for " he leads the blind in
a way that they have not known." Eye him as your pattern;
endeavour to imitate him in all his imitable perfections ; run
your Christian race, " looking unto Jesus." Remember how
steady and firm he was in carrying on the great work of re-
demption; he set his face like a fli?it against all the storms
and obstacles that lay in his way; "he did not faint, nor was
he discouraged," but " travelled on in the greatness of his
strength, — enduring the cross, and despising the shame;" for he
said on the cross, " It is finished." So study ye, after his ex-
ample, to run your Christian race, your course of obedience,
and press on against all temptations and difficulties, till ye
" have finished your course with joy," and arrive at " the
mark and prize of the high calling of God in Christ."

5. Beware of the first beginnings of defection and back-
sliding; for one trip makes way for another. Defections, are
like the rolling of a stone upon the brow of a high mountain ;
if once it begin to roll, it is fair never to rest till it be at the
bottom. You have been upon the mount of God, sirs; and if
you begin once to roll down the hill of your high professions
and resolutions, it is a hundred to one if you do not land in
the depths of apostacy, and at last in the depths of hell.

6. Lastly, Study to be well skilled in unmasking the mys-
tery of iniquity, and in detecting the wiles and stratagems
of the tempter, and to provide yourselves with suitable anti-
dotes against every attack of the enemy. For instance, if he
tell thee sin is pleasant, ask him, if the gripings of the worm
of conscience be pleasant too ? and if " one day in God's house"
be not "better than a thousand in the tents of sin ?" If he tell
thee, that nobody sees, ask him If he can shut the eye of an
omniscient God, whose " eyes are as a flame of fire," and who
" setteth our most secret sins in the light of his countenance V
If he tell thee, that it is but a little one, ask him, If there
be a little God? or if His displeasure be a little thing ? If he tell
thee, that sin is profitable, ask him, " What is a man profited,
if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?" By
considerations of this nature, the mind comes to be fortified
against the attacks and onsets of that grand enemy of salvation,
and prove a notable ballast to keep the soul firm and steady
against the most violent storms and tempests that may blow
either from earth or hell.

( 81 )

SERIVION III.

THE WIND OF THE HOLY GHOST BLOWING UPON THE DRY BONES
IN THE VALLEY OF VISION.*

Come from the four winds, O breath; and breathe upon these slain, that
they may live. — Ezek. xxxru. 9.

In the beginning of this chapter, the Lord, in a vision, brings
the prophet Ezekiel into a valley full of dead men's bones,
quite dried and withered, and asks him the question, If he
thought it possible for these dry bones to live '( thereby inti-
mating, that although it was a thing impossible with men, yet
it was easily effected by the almighty power of God. And,
to convince him of it, he commands the prophet to speak to
the dry bones, and to tell them, in his name, that he would
make the breath of life to enter into them : which accordingly
is done ; for the prophet having in the name of the Lord,
called upon the four winds to breathe upon the dry bones,
immediately life enters into them, and they come together
bone to his bone, and they lived, and " stood up upon their
feet, and became an exceeding great army."

By which vision we have a lively representation of a three-
fold resurrection, as a late commentator (Mr. Henry) very
well observes. 1. Of the resurrection of the body at the last
day, and general resurrection, when God will command the
earth to give up its dead, and the sea to give up its dead ;
and when, by the ministry of angels, the dust and bones of
the saints shall be gathered from the four winds of heaven,
to which they have been scattered. Or, 2. We have in this
vision a lively representation of the resurrection of the soul
from the grave of sin ; which is effected by preaching or
prophesying, as the instrumental, and by the powerful influ-
ence of the Spirit of the Lord, as the principal efficient cause
of it : and the wind here spoken of is plainly said to be un-
derstood of the Spirit, (ver. 14 :) "I will put my Spirit in you,
and ye shall live." Or, 3. We have, by this vision, a repre-
sentation of the resurrection of the church of God, from the
grave of her bondage and captivity in Babylon, under which
they were at present detained. And this, indeed, is the pri-
mary and immediate scope of the vision, as is plain from the

• Preached in the Tolbooth-Church, Edinburgh, upon a fast-day before
the sacrament of our Lord's supper, March 15, 1715.

82 THE WIND OF THE HOLY GHOST BLOWING UPON [SER.

explication that follows it, ver. 11 — 14. However, seeing the
deliverance of the children of Israel out of their Babylonish
captivity, was typical of our spiritual redemption purchased by
the Lord Jesus Christ upon the cross, and in a day of power
applied by the mighty and powerful operation of the Holy
Spirit of God ; and seeing it is this redemption with which we
under the gospel are principally concerned, therefore I shall
handle the words that I have read under this spiritual sense
and meaning.

And in them briefly we have, 1. A dismal case supposed,
and that is, spiritual deadness. The people of God were not
only in bondage under their enemies, but likewise their souls
were at this time in a languishing condition. But of this more
afterwards.

2. We have a blessed remedy here expressed, and that is
the breathings of the Spirit of the Lord, the influences of the
Holy Ghost : Come from the four winds, 0 breath, &c. Now,
these influences of the Holy Ghost are here described,

1st, From their nature, held out under the notion and me-
taphor of wind ; Come from the four winds, 0 breath. There
are three elements by which the operations of the Spirit are
held out to us in scripture. Sometimes they are compared
to fire: Matth. iii. 11: "He shall baptize you (speaking of
Christ) with the Holy Ghost, and with fire." Sometimes they
are compared to water : Is. xliv. 3 : " I will pour water upon
him that is thirsty, and floods upon the dry ground : I will pour
my Spirit upon thy seed," &-c. Sometimes the influences of
the Spirit are held forth under the metaphor of witid, as in
Cant. iv. 16: " Awake, O north wind; and come, thou south;
blow upon my garden." So here, by the wind, or breath here
spoken of, we are principally to understand the Spirit : it is
plainly declared to be the Spirit of God in the 14th verse of
this chapter. I cannot stand to show you the grounds of this
metaphor. Wind, you know, is of a cleansing, cooling, fructi-
fying nature and virtue; it acts freely and irresistibly. It is
not in the power of man to resist or oppose the blowings of
the wind. So the influences of the Spirit cleanse and purify
the heart ; they allay the storms of conscience, " make the
bones which were broken to rejoice?" they make the soul to
" grow as the lily, and to cast forth its roots like Lebanon ;"
they render the soul fruitful " like the garden of God 1" and
the Spirit acts with a sovereign freedom, and irresistible effi-
cacy, as you may hear afterwards. But,

2dly, These influences of the Holy Ghost, are described,
from their variety, four winds : Come from the four winds, O
breath ; importing the manifold influences and operations of
this one and eternal Spirit. Hence we read of the " north

III.] THE DRY BONES IN THE VALLEY OP VISION. 83

and south wind," Cant. iv. 16 ; and of " the seven spirits that
are before the throne of God," Rev. iv. 5.

3dli/, These influences are described from their acting or
operation, which is here called a breathing: Breathe upon
these slain. By the acting of this almighty wind, our natural
life was produced and formed, Gen. ii. 7. We are there told,
that after God had " formed man of the dust of the ground,
he breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and he be-
came a living soul." Hence is that of Elihu, Job xxxiii. 4:
" The Spirit of God hath made me, and the breath of the Al-
mighty hath given me life." And it is by the influences of
the same almighty breath, that our souls are "quickened,
when dead in trespasses and sins," and our spiritual life is
formed within us. But then,

Athly, These influences are described from the end and ef-
fect of their operation : Breathe upon these slai?i, that they may
live; that is, that the dry bones may become living souls, that
out of these stones children may be raised up to Abraham.

Now, from these words, thus briefly explained, 1 only offer
you this one observation; namely,

Doct. "That as the generality of a church and people in
covenant with God, may be in a very dead and languishing
condition. as to their souls; so the breathings and influences of
the Holy Spirit of God are absolutely necessary for their re-
vival. This is the sum of what I intend from these words,
Come from the four winds, 0 breath ; and breathe upon these
slain, that they may /ire."

In discoursing upon this doctrine, I shall,

I. Speak a little upon this deadness which is incident to a
people externally in covenant with God.

II. Upon the influences or breathings of the wind of the
Holy Ghost, which are so absolutely necessary in order to
their revival.

III. Touch at that life which is effected by these breath-
ings.

IV. I shall apply.

I. I say, I would speak a little on this deadness which is in-
cident to a people externally i?i covenant with God. And here
I shall only, 1. Give you some of its kinds. 2. Some of the
causes of it. 3. Some of the symptoms of it.

1. The first thing is to give you some kinds of deadness. —
Know, then, in general, that there is a two-fold death; one
is proper and natural, the other is improper and metapho-
rical.

84 THE WIND OF THE HOLY GHOST BLOWING UPON [SER.

(1.) Death, properly so called, is a thing so well known,
that it is needless for roe to tell you what it is. There is
none of us all but we shall know it experimentally within a
little; for "it is appointed for every man once to die." —
The grave is a house appointed for all living ; and therefore,
with Job, we may " say to corruption, Thou art our father ;
and to the worm, Thou art our mother and sister." But this
is not the death I now speak of; and therefore,

(2.) There is a death which is improper or metaphorical ;
which is nothing else but a disease or distemper of the soul,
by which it is rendered unmeet and incapable for holy and
spiritual exercises. And this, again, is two-fold ; either total
or partial.

1st, There is a total death incident to the wicked and un-
godly, who are stark dead, and have nothing of spiritual life
in them at all. Hence, (Eph. ii. 1,) men in a state of nature
are said to be " dead in trespasses and sins ;" that is, under
the total reigning power of sin, "in the gall of bitterness, and
under the bond of iniquity ;" without God, without Christ, and
therefore without hope.

2dly, There is a partial death incident to believers, whom
God has raised out of the grave of an unrenewed state, and
in whose souls he has implanted a principle of spiritual life.
And this partial death, incident to believers, consists in a ma-
nifest decay of spiritual principles and habits, in the abating
of their wonted life and vigour, and activity in the way and
work of the Lord : their faith, their love, their hope, and
other graces, are all in a fainting and languishing condition ;
they lie dormant in the soul, like the life of the tree that lies
hid in its root, without fruit or blossoms, during the winter-
season. Such deadness as this we find the Lord's people in
scripture frequently complaining of, particularly Is. lvi. 3 :
" The son of the stranger, that hath joined himself to the
Lord, and taken hold of his covenant," he is made to speak,
saying, " The Lord hath utterly separated me from his peo-
ple :" and the eunuch cries out, / am a dry tree, wherein there
is no life or sap. It is this kind of spiritual deadness, incident
to believers, that I now principally speak of. The leaves of
his profession may in a great measure be withered ; the can-
dle of his conversation may burn dimly, or with a very im-
perfect light ; the flame of his affections, his zeal, love, desire,
may, like that of a great fire, be reduced to a few coals and
cinders. There may be a great intermission or formality in
the discharge of commanded duty. The mind, which once
with delight and admiration, could meditate upon God and
Christ, and the covenant, and things that are above, may
come to lose its relish for these things, and to dote upon the

III.] THE DRV BONES IN THE VALLEY OF VISION. 86

transitory fading vanities of a present world. The common
gifts of the Spirit, through carnal ease, and defect of em-
ployment, may be in a great measure blasted: and, "which is
worst of all, the saving graces, and fruits of the Spirit, may
come to be wofully impaired as to their former degrees and
actings. But now, this partial death of believers, again, is
twofold : there is a deadness which is felt by God's people,
and a deadness which is not felt; "gray hairs are here and
there upon them, sometimes, and they do not behold them."
The Lord was departed from Samson, and he wist not, Judg.
xvi. 20. But then there is a deadness which is felt, when
God's people have a sense of their deadness, and are lament-
ing it. And it is an evidence of spiritual life, or of some re-
vival, when the Lord's people are beginning to cry out with
the church, (Psal. lxxxv. 6:) " Wilt thou not revive us again;
that thy people may rejoice in thee 1 — Why hast thou har-
dened our heart from thy fear?" Is. lxiii. 17. But,

2. The second thing is, to take notice of some of the causes
of this spiritual deadness. I shall only name them, because
your time would not allow me to enlarge.

(1.) Then, abstinence or neglect of food, you know, will
soon bring the body into a pining, languishing condition: so,
if the means of grace be not diligently improved, if we ne-
glect, by faith, to apprehend and to improve Christ, and to
feed upon him, whose " flesh is meat indeed, and whose blood
is drink indeed," the spiritual life of the soul will soon lan-
guish and wither. Hence is that [declaration] of Christ,
John vi. 53: " Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and
drink his blood, ye have no life in you."

(2.) Surfeiting the soul with sensual pleasure is another
great cause of spiritual death : Hos. iv. 11 : " Whoredom and
wine, and new wine take away the heart :" they suck out
the very life of the soul. What is the reason why many pro-
fessors of religion have lost their wonted vigour in the way of
the Lord, and are in such a languishing condition as to their
soul-matters ? The plain reason of it is this, they are glut-
ting themselves with the pleasures of sense. If Samson do
but sleep on Delilah's lap, she will betray him into the hands
of the Philistines, and cut the locks wherein his strength lies ;
and when he goes out to shake himself, as at other times, he
will find his strength gone away from him.

(3.) Inactivity and sloth in salvation and regeneration-work
is another cause of spiritual deadness. Physicians observe,
that as too violent exercise, so too much rest, or a sedentary
way of living, is prejudicial to the health of the body. This
holds also in spiritual things : if we do not exercise our-
selves unto godliness, and endeavour to abound in the work

vol. i. 8

86 THE WIND OF THE HOLY GHOST BLOWING UPON [sER.

of the Lord, the spiritual life will soon languish and dwindle
away. Therefore, " Let us not be slothful in business, but
fervent in spirit, serving the Lord ; and whatever our hand
findeth to do, let us do it with all our might." And beware
of resting upon empty wishes and desires in spiritual matters ;
for " the desire of the slothful kills him, because his hands
refuse to labour."

(4.) The contagion of ill example, of a carnal world, and
irreligious relatives, has a fatal influence this way. You know
it is exceedingly dangerous for those who have the seed of all
diseases in them to frequent the company of those who are
infected with the plague or pestilence. A Joseph, if he stay
long in the Egyptian court, will learn to swear "by the life of
Pharaoh." It is true, indeed, as fire sometimes burns with
the greater vehemence, and casts the greater heat, the cold-
er the air be ; so the zeal and life of God's people is some-
times rather quickened, by beholding the wickedness of those
among whom their lot is cast, as Paul among the Athenians.
But if we shall adventure to cast ourselves into the society of
the wicked, without a special call and warrant from Provi-
dence, it will be next to an impossibility to keep ourselves
free of the contagion : for " can a man carry fire in his bo-
som, and his clothes not be burnt? Can a man walk upon
hot coals, and his feet not be burnt? Evil communications
corrupt good manners."

(5.) Some deadly wound in the soul, not carefully noticed,
may be the cause of spiritual death. You know a man may
die not only by a draught of poison, or the like, but also by
the cut of a sword. While we are in the wilderness, we live
in the very midst of our spiritual enemies : the fiery darts of
Satan are flying thick about us; be is always seeking to
bruise the believer's heel, "going about seeking to devour:"
and not only so, but our own lusts also do war against the
soul, so that we cannot miss to be wounded thereby. And
if the filth and guilt of these wounds be not carefully washed
away by the blood and Spirit of the Lord Jesus Christ, they
cannot miss exceedingly to impair the spiritual life and health :
therefore, David, after he had been wounded by murder and
adultery, is so earnest that God would wash and cleanse his
wounds, and purge him with hyssop, that so the joy of his
salvation might be restored. But then,

(6.) A holy God has sometimes a righteous and holy hand
in this spiritual death, to which the Lord's people are liable,
by withdrawing and suspending the influences of his Spirit
from them. For as the plant and the herb of the field wi-
ther, and languish when the rain of heaven is withheld ;
so when the influences of the Holy Ghost are suspended, the

III.] THE DRY BONES IN THE VALLEY OF VISION. 87

very sap of the soul, and its spiritual life go away. And
the Lord withholds the influences of his Spirit for many rea-
sons, As,

1st, He does it sometimes in a way of 'awful and adorable
sovereignty, to show that he is not a debtor to any of his
creatures. However, because the Spirit's influences are sel-
dom withdrawn in a way of sovereignty, it is our part to search
and try if conscience do not condemn us, as having a sinful
and culpable hand in it ourselves.

2dly, Sometimes he does it to humble his people, and to
prevent their pride, which makes him to " behold them afar
off." If we were always under the lively gales and influences
of the Spirit, we would be ready to forget ourselves, and in
danger with Paul, of being lifted up above measure, when he
was wrapt up into the third heaven. Upon this account,
some of the saints have said, that they have got more good
sometimes by their desertion, than by their enlargement.

3dly, He does it to make them prize Christ, and see their
continual need of fresh supplies "out of his fulness." He lets
our cisterns run dry, that we may come anew, and lay our
empty vessels under the flowings of the blessed "fountain of
life," that " out of his fulness we may receive, and grace for
grace."

4thly, He does it sometimes for the trial of his people, to
see if they will follow him " in a wilderness, in a land that
is not sown," as well as when he is feeding them with the
sensible communications of his grace and Spirit ; to see if
they will live on him by faith, when they cannot live by sight
or sense.

hthly, Sometimes he does it for their chastisement, to cor-
rect them for their iniquities. And this, indeed, is the most
ordinary cause why the Spirit of the Lord is suspended and
withdrawn.

I have not time to enumerate many of these sins which
provoke the Lord to withdraw his Spirit. I shall only men-
tion two or three.

(1.) Not hearkening to the motions of his Spirit, is one
great reason why the Lord withdraws his Spirit ; as you see
in the spouse, Cant. v. There Christ comes, and moves, and
calls for entrance : the spouse does not hearken to the motion :
" I have put off my coat, how shall I put it on? I have washed
my feet, how shall I defile them ?" Upon which he immediate-
ly withdraws and leaves her, as you may read at your own
leisure.

(2.) Lukewarmness and formality in the discharge of duty
is another cause of it, as we see in the church of Laodicea ; it
made him to spew that church out of his mouth. And then,

88 THE WIND OF THE HOLV GHOST BLOWING UPON [SER.

(3.) Prostituting the gifts and graces of the Spirit to carnal,
selfish, and base ends, to procure a name, or make a show in
the world. This is another reason of it.

(4.) Sinning against light, trampling upon the belly of con-
science, as David no doubt did in the matter of Uriah and
Bathsheba ; whereby he provoked the Lord so far to leave
him, that he cries out, (Psal. li. 11 :) "Cast me not out of thy
sight ; and take not thy Holy Spirit from me."

(5.) Barrenness and unfruitfulness under the means of
grace : Is. v. the clouds are commanded to give no rain upon
the barren vineyard. And then,

(6.) And lastly, Their not listening carefully to the voice of
God in ordinances and providences; this is another cause of
it; Psal. lxxxi. 11, 12: "My people would not hearken to
my voice ; therefore, I gave them up unto their own hearts'
lust : and they walked in their own counsels." And thus you
have some of the causes of this spiritural deadness. I come
to—

3. The third thing, which was to give you some of the
symptoms of it : and would to God they were not too visible,
rife, and common in the day, and upon the generation in which
we live. I shall name a few of them to you.

(1.) Want of appetite after the bread and water of life is a
symptom of spiritual death. You know that man cannot be
in a healthful condition that loathes his food, or has lost his
appetite after it. Alas ! is not the manna of heaven, that
God is raining about our tent-doors, generally loathed? The
great truths of God, which some of the saints have found to
be " sweeter than honey, from the honey-comb," have not
that savour and relish with us that they ought to have. Are
not sabbaths, sacraments, sermons, fast-days, and feast-days,
burdens to many among us ; so that if they would but speak
out the language of their hearts, they would be ready to join
issue with these, Mai. i. 13: "What a weariness is this?'
Whereas, the soul that is in a lively condition is ready to say
of the word, " It is better to me than thousands of gold and
silver; I esteem it more than my necessary food:" and of or-
dinances, " I love the habitation of thy house, and the place
where thy honour dwelleth;" and Psal. lxxxiv. 10: "One
day in thy courts is better than a thousand."

(2.) Though a man have something of an appetite, yet if
he do not grow, or look like his food, it looks something dan-
gerous and death-like. The thriving Christian is a growing
Christian: "They that be planted in the house of the Lord
shall nourish in the courts of our God. — The righteous shall
hold on his way, and he that hath clean hands shall be
stronger and stronger." But, alas ! is it not quite otherwise

III.] THE DRY BONES IN THE VALLEY OF VISION. 89

with the most part? Many are going backward, instead of
forward ; as it is said of Jerusalem ; (Lam. i. 8 :) " She sigheth,
and turneth backward." May we not cry out of our leanness,
our leanness, notwithstanding of all the fattening means and
ordinances that we enjoy?

(3.) You know, when death takes a dealing with a person, it
makes his beauty to fade : " When with rebukes thou dost
correct man for iniquity, thou makest his beauty to consume
away like a moth." Pale death soon alters the ruddy coun-
tenance. Perhaps the day has been, O believer, when the
beauty of holiness adorned every step of thy conversation;
thy " light did so shine before men, that they, seeing thy good
works," could not but " glorify thy heavenly Father ;" but
now, alas ! the beauty of thy conversation is sullied and stain-
ed, by " lying among the pots " of sin. This says, that spiritual
death is dealing with thy soul.

(4.) Death not only wastes the beauty, but the strength
also: Eccl. xii. 3: " The keepers of the house do tremble,
and the strong men do bow," upon the approaches of the king
of terrors. Now, see if your wonted strength and ability
to perform duty, or to resist temptations, be not abated.
Perhaps the day has been, when thou couldst have said with
Paul, "Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? for, through
Christ strengthening me, lean do all things;" but now thou
art ready to faint and sit up at the very thoughts of duty.
The day perhaps has been, when, though Satan, that cun-
ning archer, did shoot sore at thee; yet "thy bow did abide
in its strength, and the arms of thy hands were made strong
by the mighty God of Jacob ;" thou wast in case to beat back
the fiery darts of Satan, and to stand thy ground against the
corruptions and defections of the- day and generation : but
now, like a dead fish, thou art carried down the stream. Does
not this proclaim thy soul to be under a sad decay?

(5.) Death wastes the natural heat and warmness of the
body. There is a kind of chilliness and coldness that seizes a
man when death takes a dealing with him. So it is a sign of a
spiritual decay and dcadness, when wonted zeal for God and
his glory, and the concerns of his church and his kingdom, "is
abated. Perhaps the day has been, when, with David, the
zeal of God's house did in a manner eat you up, and you
" preferred Jersualem to your chief joy." but now you are al-
most come the length of Gallio's temper, to " care for none
of these things;" indifferent whether the work of God in the
land sink or swim. Laodicea's distemper is too prevalent
among us at this day", we are " neither cold nor hot" in the
things of God ; and therefore have reason to fear, lest we
be spewed out of God's mouth. The day has been, when

8*

90 THE WIND OF THE HOLY GHOST BLOWING UPON [SER.

your spirits w6re lifted up, in prayer, in hearing, in commu-
nicating ; you were " fervent in spirit, serving the Lord ;"
you could rejoice to work righteousness, and say, in some
measure, with David, " I will go unto the altar of God, to
God, my exceeding joy;" but now all this holy warmth is
gone in a great measure ; you are become formal and careless
in the concerns of God's glory.

(6.) A dead man, you know, cannot move, but only as he
is moved from without, in regard he wants a principle of
motion within. So it is a sign of spiritual death, even in
believers, when external motives and considerations have a
greater influence in the duties of religion upon them, than an
internal principle of faith and love. When the believer is
himself, "the love of Christ constrains" him in every duty;
this is the " one thing " he desires, " that he may behold the
beauty of the Lord, and inquire in his temple:" but when
any selfish or external motive sets him at work, it is a sign of
spiritual death. Other things might be added; but I hasten
to speak to,

II. The second thing proposed in the method, and that was,
to speak a little of these breathings and influences of the Spirit
of God, which are absolutely necessary for the revival of the
Lord's people under deadness : Come from the four wi?ids, O
breath ! and breathe upon these slain, that they may live. And
here 1 would, 1. Clear the nature of these influences, in a
word or two. 2. Speak to the variety of these influences, four
winds. 3. To the manner of their operation upon the elect ;
they are said to breathe upon the slain. 4. Speak a little to
the necessity of these breathings. 5. To the several seasons
of the Spirit's reviving influences.

I fear your time will cut me short before I have done; but
I shall run through these particulars as quickly as possible.

1. 'The first thing is, to clear the nature of these breathings
or influences. And what I have to offer upon this head, you
may take in these few propositions: —

(1.) You would know, that the influences and gifts of the
Spirit of God are of two sorts, either common or saving. As
for the common influences of the Spirit, which are sometimes
bestowed upon the wicked and reprobate world, I am not to
speak of these at this time. All I shall say about them is, to
tell you, that they are given in common to the children of
men, "for edification of the mystical body of Christ," until it
arrive at " the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ,"
as you read, Eph. iv. : and therefore they are commonly called
by divines dona ministranlia, or ministering gifts. Although
they have no saving efficacy upon the person in whom they
dwell ; yet God, in his holy wisdom, makes use of them for

III.] THE DRY BONES IN THE VALLEY OF VISION. 91

the good of his church in general, as vve read, Eph. iv. And
another thing that I would tell you, likewise, concerning these
common influences, is, that they are of an exceedingly dan-
gerous nature, when they are not accompanied with saving
grace. The man that has them, is like a ship having very
large sails, and but little or no ballast at all, in the midst of
the ocean ; and is therefore in danger of being split in pieces
against every rock. In Matth. vii. 22, we read of some who
had extraordinary common gifts ; they prophesied in Christ's
name, wrought miracles, and cast out devils in his name, and
did many wonderful works, and yet Christ utterly disowns
them. I do not speak of these common influences now, but
of such as are saving. And therefore,

(2.) A second proposition is, that the Holy Spirit of God,
considered in his particular economy in the work of redemp-
tion, as the applier of the Redeemer's purchase, is the author
and efficient cause of all saving influences. It is he, I say,
that prepares and disposes the soul of man for the entertain-
ment of the things of God, which are not received nor dis-
cerned by the natural mind. It is he that ploughs up the
fallow ground of the heart, and brings in the wilderness, and
turns it into a fruitful field. It is he that garnishes the face
of the soul with the saving graces of the Spirit ; these are
flowers of the upper paradise, therefore called " the fruits
of the Spirit," Gal. v. 22. It is he that preserves, cherishes,
and maintains, them by renewed influences: he cherishes the
smoking flax, and at last turns it into a lamp of glory inhea-
ven; for "he brings forth judgment unto victory."

(3.) Again ; you would know that the elect of God are the
subjects recipient of all saving influences of the Spirit of God:
I say, they are peculiar only to the elect of God, and (o them
only upon their conversion, when they come to be united to
Christ, as members of .his mystical body. We must be in-
grafted into this true olive, otherwise we can never partake
of his sap, and " receive out of his fulness, grace for grace."
That these influences are peculiar to the elect of God, is plain
from Tit. i. 1; where we read of " the faith of God's elect."

(4.) These influences of the Spirit, are given for various
ends to the elect of God. The judicious Dr. Owen, in his
Discourses on the Spirit, observes, that these saving influences
are given to the elect of God for regeneration, to the regene-
rate for sanctification,.to the sanctified for consolation, and to
the comforted Christian for farther up-building, and edifica-
tion, and establishment, until they arrive at perfection in glo-
ry. But the nature of these influences will farther appear
from,

2, The second thing proposed, which was, to speak a little

92 THE WIND OF THE HOLY GHOST BLOWING UPON [SER.

to the variety of these influences of the Spirit. You see they
are diversified here, while they are called four xoinds: Come
from the four winds, 0 breath. The apostle tells us, that
"there are diversities of gifts and operations, but the same
Spirit," 1 Cor. xi. 4. And we read, as I was telling you, of
"seven Spirits that are before the throne," Rev. i. Here, if
time would allow me to enlarge, I might tell you, that the
saving influences and breathings of the Spirit are either pri-
mary, fundamental, and absolutely necessary to salvation; or
they are accumulative, additional, necessary only for the be-
liever's comfort and well-being. Some of these influences are
antecedent, or preparative unto conversion ; some of them
are regenerating, and others are subsequent and posterior
unto regeneration. But I shall not stand upon such nice dis-
tinctions. You may take a few of them in the order follow-
ing:—

(1.) There are the convincing influences of the Spirit:
John xvi. 8: "When he is come, he will convince the world
of sin." This is what I conceive we are to understand by
the "north wind," (Cant. iv. 16;) which is commonly boiste-
rous, cold, chill and nipping. The elect of God by nature
lie fast asleep within the sea-mark of God's wrath, upon the
very brink of everlasting ruin, crying, "Peace, peace," to
themselves; the Spirit of the Lord comes like a stormy north
wind, blows hard upon the sinner's face, and awakens him;
breaks his carnal peace and security, brings him to himself,
and lets him see his danger; fills him with remorse and ter-
ror. Hence, (lsa. xxviii. 17,) the hail is said to "sweep down
the refuge of lies," before the sinner come to settle upon the
"foundation that God hath laid in Zion." In Acts ii. 37, it is
said, "they were pricked in their heart;" and then they cried
out, "Men and brethren, what shall we do?"

(2.) There are the enlightening influences and breathings
of the Spirit. Hence, he is compared to eye-salve, Rev. iii.
18: "Ye have received an unction from the Holy One, where-
by ye know all things," 1 John ii. 20. We read, Is. xxv. 7,
of a "veil and face of a covering that is spread over all na-
tions." The wind of the Holy Ghost must blow off this veil
of ignorance and unbelief; and then the poor sinner comes to
see a new world of wonders that he never saw before; a
wonderful great God, a wonderful Redeemer, a wonderful
covenant, and a wonderful holy law. Hence, we are said to
be "translated out of darkness into a marvellous light. The
Spirit searcheth all things, yea, even the deep things of God."
And, 1 Cor. ii. 12: "By the Spirit we know the things that
are freely given to us of God."

(3.) There are the renewing influences of the Spirit. We

III.] THE DRY BONES IN THE VALLEY OF VISION. 93

are said to be " saved by the washing of regeneration, and
renewing of the Holy Ghost," Tit. iii. 5. Hence, he is called
" a new Spirit." He renews the will, and " makes old things
to pass away, and all things to become new."

(4.) There are the comforting influences of the Spirit.
This is the south-wind, as it were, gentle and easy, and re-
freshing; and therefore he is called the Comforter. And, in-
deed, his consolations are strong consolations; they put more
gladness into the heart than corn, wine, and oil in abundance ;
fill the soul with a joy that is " unspeakable, and full of glory."
And then,

(5.) There are the corroborating and strengthening in-
fluences of the Spirit. By the breathings of the Spirit the
feeble are made " like David, and as the angel of God before
him." It is he that " gives power to the faint, and increases
strength to them that have no might." It is by him that
worm Jacob is made to " thresh the mountains, and to beat them
small, and to make the hills as chaff" And then,

(6.) There are the drawing and enlarging influences of the
Spirit : " Draw me," (says the spouse,) " we will run after
thee." The poor believer lies many times, as it were, wind-
bound, that he is not able to move one step in the way of the
Lord : but, O ! when the Spirit of the Lord comes, then come
liberty and enlargement : " I will run the way of thy com-
mandments," (says David,) " when thou hast enlarged my
heart;" to wit, by the influences of thy Spirit. He is like oil
to their chariot-wheels ; and when he comes, they are as the
chariots of Amminadib, or a willing people.

(7.) There are the sin-mortifying and sin-killing influences
of the Spirit : " We, through the Spirit," are said to " morti-
fy the deeds of the body, that so we may live." When this
wind of the Holy Ghost blows upon the soul, he not only
makes the spices to revive, but he kills the weeds of sin and
corruption, making them to wither and decay ; so that the
poor believer, who was crying, " Wretched man, what shall
I do to be delivered from this body of death !" is made some-
times to tread upon the necks of these enemies, as a pledge
of his complete victory at last. And then,

(8.) There are the interceding influences of the Spirit:
Rom. viii. 26 : " The Spirit maketh intercession for us with
groanings which cannot be uttered." He intercedes in a phy-
sical and efficient way. He makes us to wrestle and pray;
therefore he is called "the Spirit of grace and supplications,"
Zech. xii. 10. He fills the believer's heart and mouth with
such a heavenly rhetoric, that God is not able to withstand it.
Hence Jacob "had power with the angel, and prevailed;" for
" he wept, and made supplication unto him." And then,

94 THE WIND OF THE HOLY GHOST BLOWING UPON [sER.

(9.) There are the sealing and witnessing influences of the
Spirit : He " witnesseth with our spirits, that we are the sons
of God." He bears witness of the glorious fulness and suita-
bleness of Christ to the soul : " The Spirit shall testify of me,"
John xv. 26. And he is said to " seal believers to the day of
redemption;" and his seal is the earnest of glory: Eph. i. 13,
14: "Ye are sealed by the Holy Spirit of promise, which is
the earnest of the inheritance." But these things 1 have not
time to insist upon. So much for the second thing.

3. The third thing that I proposed here, was, to speak a
little to the manner of the acting or operation of these in-
fluences, or how it is that this wind blows upon the soul? I
answer,

(1.) The wind of the Holy Ghost blows very freely; the
Spirit acts as an independent sovereign, John iii. 8. It does
not stay for the command, nor stop for the prohibition of any
creature. So the breathings of the Spirit are sovereignly
free as to the time of their donation, free as to their duration
and continuance, free as to the measure, and free as to the
manner of their working. And then,

(2.) He breathes on the soul sometimes very surprisingly:
"Or ever I was aware (says the spouse,) my soul made nme
like the chariots of Amminadib." Canst thou not seal this in
thy experience, believer, that sometimes, when thou hast
gone to duty in a very heartless and lifeless condition, per-
haps beginning to raze foundations, and to say with Zion,
"The Lord hath forsaken, and my God hath forgotten," a
gale from heaven has in a manner surprised thee, and set
thee upon the high places of Jacob, and made thee to cry with
the spouse, "It is the voice of my beloved! Behold, he
cometh leaping upon the mountains, skipping upon the hills?
— His anger endureth but for a moment: in his favour is life:
weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the
morning."

(3.) These breathings and influences of the Spirit are some-
times very piercing and penetrating. The cold nipping north
wind, you know, goes to«the very quick. The sword of the
Spirit " pierces even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit,
and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts
and intents of the heart." Wind, you know, is of a very seek-
ing, penetrating nature ; it seeks through the closest cham-
bers. So the Spirit, which is the candle of the Lord, "searcheth
the lower parts of the belly:" he makes a discovery of these
lusts and idols that skulk in the secret chambers of the heart.

(4.) The breathings of this wind are very powerful, strong,
and efficacious. Who can oppose the blowings of the winds ?
Some winds have such a mighty force with them, that they

III.] THE DRY BONES IN THE VALLEY OF VISION. 95

bear down, overturn, and overthrow every thing that stands
in their way. So the Spirit of the Lord sometimes, especial-
ly at first conversion, breaks in upon the soul like the rushing
of a mighty wind, as he did upon the apostles, breaking down
the strong holds of iniquity, casting to the ground every high
thought and towering imagination of the soul, that exalts
itself against Christ, with a powerful and triumphant efficacy.
He masters the darkness of the mind, the contumacy and re-
bellion of the will, and the carnality of the affections : the
enmity of the heart against God, and all the spiritual wicked-
nesses that are in the high places of the soul, are made to fall
down at his {eet, as Dagon did before the ark of the Lord.

(5.) Although he act thus powerfully and irresistibly, yet
it is with an overcoming sweetness, so as there is not the least
violence offered to any of the natural faculties of the soul : for
whenever the Spirit comes with his saving influences, he sweet-
ly overcomes the darkness of the mind ; the sinner becomes a
volunteer, and content to enlist himself a soldier under Christ's
banner: Psal. ex. 3: " Thy people shall be willing in the day
of thy power." No sooner does Christ by his Spirit say to the
soul, " Follow me," but immediately they arise and follow him.
" Behold, we come unto thee, for thou art the Lord our God."
Then,

(6.) There is something in the breathing of this wind that
is incomprehensible by reason: John iii. 8: "Thou hearest
the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and
whither it goes," says Christ : " so is every one that is born of
the Spirit." There is something in the operation of the eternal
Spirit and his influences beyond the reach, not only of natural,
but of sanctified reason. Who can tell "how the bones are
formed in the womb of her that is with child? " so, far less can
we tell how the Spirit forms the babe of grace in the heart;
how he preserves, maintains, and cherishes "the smoking flax,"
that is not quite extinguished. We may, in this case, apply
the words of the psalmist in another case, and say, " Thy way
is in the sea, and thy path in the great waters, and thy footsteps
are not known ; " and that of the apostle, " How unsearchable
are his judgments, and his ways past finding out !"

(7.) These influences of the Spirit, are sometimes felt be-
fore they are seen ; as you know a man will feel the wind, and
hear it, when he cannot see it. So it is with the Lord's peo-
ple many times, on whom the Spirit breathes: they feel his
actings, they are sensible that he has been dealing with them ;
and all that they can say about it is, with the man that was
born blind, "One thing I know, that whereas I was blind, now
I see." " The kingdom of heaven comes not with observa-
tion."

96 THE WIND OF THE HOLY GHOST BLOWING UPON [SER.

4. The fourth thing proposed was, to speak a little to the
necessity of these breathings. And here I shall show, 1. That
thev are necessary. 2. To what things they are necessary.

(1.) That they are necessary, will appear,

1st, From the express declaration of Christ, John xv. 5 :
"Without me, ye can do nothing;" that is, without the aid
and influences of my Spirit. He does not say, Without me,
ye cannot do many things, or great things ; but, " Without me,
ye can do nothing."

2dly, It is evident from the express acknowledgment of the
saints of God upon this head: 2 Cor. iii. 5: "We are not,"
says the apostle, "sufficient of ourselves to think any thing
as of ourselves: but our sufficiency is of God." It is he that
must " work all our works in us and for us."

3dlij, It is plain from the earnest prayers of the saints for
the breathings of this wind: Cant. iv. 16: "Awake, O north
wind, and come, thou south; and blow upon my garden." Psal.
lxxxv. 6: "Wilt thou not revive us again; that thy people
may rejoice in thee?" They are promised in the covenant,
and therefore necessary : Is. xliv. 3 : " I will pour water upon
him that is thirsty, and floods upon the dry ground ; I will
pour my Spirit upon thy seed," &c. Ezek. xxxvi. 27: "I will
put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my sta-
tutes." Now, there is not a mercy promised in the covenant
that can be wanting. But,

(2.) To what are these breathings necessary? I answer,
they are necessary,

Is/, To the quickening of the elect of God, when they are
stark dead in trespasses and sins. Can ever the dry bones live,
unless this omnipotent wind blow upon them? It is strange,
to hear some men that profess Christianity, talking of the
power of their own wills to quicken and convert themselves.
They may as well say, that a dead man may take his grave
in his two arms, and lay death by him, and walk. " No man,"
says Christ, " can come to me, except the Father, which hath
sent me, draw him." Oh ! what a dead weight is the sinner,
that a whole Trinity must draw ! for both Father and Son
draws the sinner by the breathings of the Holy Ghost.

2dly, These influences are necessary for the suitable dis-
charge of every duty of religion. You cannot read, you can-
not hear, you cannot pray or praise, you cannot communicate
to any advantage, unless the wind of the Holy Ghost blow
upon you. It is the Lord that must enlarge our steps under us,
and make your feet like hinds' feet in the ways of the Lord.

Sdly, They are necessary for accomplishing our spiritual
warfare against sin, Satan, and the world. We will never be
able to combat with our spiritual enemies, if he do not help

111.] THE DRY BONES IN THE VALLEY OF VISION. 97

us: it is he only that must " teach our hands to war, and our
fingers to fight, so as hows of steel may be broken in pieces
by us." Without the Spirit, we will fall before every tempta-
tion ; like Peter, curse and swear, that we never knew him.

4thly, They are necessary to the exercise of grace already
implanted in the soul. As we cannot work grace in our hearts,
so neither can we exercise it without the renewed influences
of the Holy Ghost, Cant. iv. 16: When this wind blows, then,
and never till then, do the spices flow out. But 1 shall not
stand on this : the Spirit's influences are necessary to all the
uses mentioned upon the second head : for conviction, illu-
mination, renovation, consolation, enlargement, mortification of
sin, for assurance of our adoption.

5. The Jifth thing that I proposed upon this head, was, to
give you some of the seasons of these influences of the Spirit :
for the wind, you know, has its seasons and times of blowing
and breathing. I shall only name a few of them to you.

(I.) The Spirit's reviving influences blow, very ordinarily,
in a day of conversion. This, as you were hearing, is a sea-
son when this wind breathes on the soul, Ezek. xxxvi. 26:
when God "takes away the stony heart, and gives the heart
of flesh." He puts his Spirit within them, when the soul is
first espoused unto Christ. So Jer. ii. 2 : " I remember thee,
the kindness of thy youth, the love of thine espousals, when
thou wentest after me in the wilderness, in a land that was
not sown."

(2.) When the soul has been deeply humbled under a sense
of sin and unworthiness. When Ephraim is brought low, and
is smiting on his thigh, acknowledging his sin and folly, then
the Spirit of the Lord comes with a reviving gale upon his
spirit. "Is Ephraim," says the Lord, "my dear son? is he a
pleasant child ? for since I spake against him, I do earnestly
remember him still : therefore my bowels are troubled for
him ; I will surely have mercy upon him, saith the Lord."

(3.) After a dark night of desertion, when the Lord returns
again, it is a time of sweet influences. After Zion had been
crying, " The Lord hath forsaken me, my God hath forgotten
me;" upon the back of it comes a sweet gale of the Spirit,
"Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not
have compassion on the son of her womb 1 yea, they may for-
get, yet will not I forget thee."

(4.) Times of earnest prayer and wrestling; for he gives
his Spirit to them that ask it. This is agreeable to the pro-
mise, Ezek. xxxvi. 37.

(5.) Times of serious meditation are times of sweet influ-
ences of the Spirit : Psal. lxiii. 5, 6, 8 : When I remember thee
upon my bed, and meditate on thee in the night watches, my

vol. i. 9

98 THE WIND OF THE HOLY GHOST BLOWING UPON [SER.

soul is satisfied as with marrow and fatness, and my soul fol-
loweth hard after thee."

(6.) Communion-days are sometimes days of sweet influ-
ences. Some of the Lord's people can attest it from their ex-
perience, with the spouse, that " while the King sat at his
table, the spikenard sent forth the smell thereof;" and when
they " sat down under his shadow, they found his fruit sweet
to their taste. He brought me to the banqueting-house, and
his banner over me was love."

(7.) The day of death has sometimes been found to be a
day of such pleasant gales of the Spirit, that they have been
made to enter into the haven of glory with the triumphant
song in their mouth, saying, "Thanks be to God, which giveth
us the victory, through our Lord Jesus Christ." Thus David,
"Although my house be not so with God ; yet be hath made
with me an everlasting covenant, ordered in all things, and
sure ; for this is all my salvation, and all my desire." Thus,
Simeon, thus Paul, &c.

III. The third thing in the text and doctrine to be spoken
to, is the life that is effected and wrot/ghf in the souls of God's
elect by these influences and breathings of the Holy Spirit. Your
time will not allow me to enlarge upon this. I shall only tell
you, in a few particulars, what sort of a life it is.

(1.) It is a life of faith. The apostle calls it so, Gal. ii. 20.
" The life I now live in the flesh, I live by the faith of the
Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me." And
the just is said to live by faith. The man is ever embracing
a Redeemer, and the fulness of the Godhead in him; always
deriving fresh supplies out of that full treasury and store-
house.

(2.) It is a life of justification. The law pronounces a
curse against every one that " doth not continue in all things
written in the book of the law to do them." The believer
gets this sentence of death cancelled : Rom. viii. 1 : " There
is no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus." And
not only so, but he has the everlasting righteousness of Im-
manuel God-man imputed to him: so that with a holy bold-
ness he may challenge justice, and challenge the law, what
they have to say against him, as the apostle does, Rom. viii.
33: " Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect?"
&c.

(3.) It is a life of reconciliation with God; God and they
are at friendship ; which follows naturally on their justifica-
tion : Rom. v. 1 : " Being justified by faith, we have peace
with God." God does not retain the least grudge in his
heart against them ; and he and they walk together, because
they are agreed : that is, they have fellowship one with ano-

III.] THE DRY BONES IN THE VALLEY OF VISION. 99

ther, according to that, 1 John i. 3: "Truly our fellowship
is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ."

(4.) It is a life of holiness and sanctification: for the Spirit
of the Lord is a cleansing, purifying, and renewing Spirit :
he renews the soul after the image of God ; makes the heart,
that was a " cage of unclean birds," a fit temple for the Holy
Ghost to dwelf in ; he garnishes the soul, and makes it like
the King's daughter, all glorious within. They that had hen
among die pots, become " like the wings of a dove covered
with silver, and her feathers with yellow gold."

(5.) It is a very lightsome and comfortable life : and no
wonder; for his name is The Comforter. His consolations
are so strong, that they furnish the soul with ground of joy
in the blackest and cloudiest day : Hab. iii. 17, 18 : " Although
the ficr tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines,
the labour of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no
meat, the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there sha
be no herd in the stalls: yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will
joy in the God of my salvation." And the joy that he gives
is deep: "Your heart shall rejoice." And it is abiding:
" Your joy shall no man take from you." And it is such as
cannot "be made language of: "We rejoice with joy un-
speakable, and full of glory." .

(6.) It is a life of liberty; for "where the Spirit of the
Lord is, there is liberty." He brings us into " the glorious
liberty of the sons of God." Before the Spirit comes with
his saving influences, the man is in bondage; in bondage to
sin, to Satan, to the law, and to the curse and condemnation
of God: but the Spirit of the Lord frees from all these.
Christ, by his Spirit, sets the captives of the mighty at liber-
ty, and " delivers the prey from the terrible."

(7.) It is a hidden life : Col. iii. 3 : " Your life is hid with
Christ in God." And believers are called " God's hidden
ones," Psal. lxxxiii. 3: The spring and fountain of this life
is hid, namely, an unseen Christ ; for with him is the fountain
of life. The subject of this life is hid, even the hidden man of
the heart. The actings of this life are hid, and the means of
its support; he feeds upon "the hidden manna, and the tree
of life which is in the midst of the paradise of God." And
then the beauty and glory of this life is hid; for "the King s
daughter is all glorious within." The beauty of the hypo-
crite's life lies all in the outside, painted sepulchres.

(8.) It is a heavenly life ; they are made to live above the
world : " Our conversation is in heaven," says the apostle.
They look on themselves as pilgrims and strangers on the
earth, and, therefore, look not so much to the things that are
seen, as to the things that are not seen. With Moses, they

100 THE WIND OF THE HOLY GHOST BLOWING UPON [SER.

" have respect unto the recompense of the reward ;" their
eyes are set upon the land that is yery far off, and the King
in his beauty.

(9.) It is a royal life: for they are "made kings and priests
unto God," Rev. i. G: They have a royal kingdom, of which
they are heirs : " I appoint unto you a kingdom," says Christ ;
a royal crown, " a crown of glory which fadeth not away."
They shall have a royal throne at last, Rev. iii. 21. Royal
robes, princely attire, " the garments of salvation ;" a royal
table provided for them, Is. xxv. 6 : " a feast of fat things, a
feast of wines on the lees, of fat things full of marrow, of
wines on the lees well refined ;" a royal guard continually
attending them, the angels of God, and the attributes of the
divine nature, &c.

(10.) It is an eternal life: John xvii. 3: " This is life eter-
nal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus
Christ whom thou hast sent." The saving knowledge of a
God in Christ, what is it but the first dawnings of eternal
glory in the soul? And where he once dawns, he is ever in
the ascendant until the mid-day of glory come ; for " his
goings forth are prepared as the morning."

IV. The fourth thing is the use of the doctrine. And
waving other uses that might be made of this doctrine, I
shall only improve it by way of examination and of exhorta-
tion.

The first use shall be of trial and examination. Oh try,
sirs, whether or not these saving influences of the Spirit did
ever breathe upon your souls, yea, or not. For your trial I
shall only suggest these few things: —

1. If these breathings have blown upon thy soul, man, wo-
man, then he has blown away " the veil and face of the co-
vering " that was naturally upon thy mind and understand-
ing. He has given you other views of spiritual and divine
things, than you can have by any natural or acquired know-
ledge. The Spirit of the Lord is called " the Spirit of
wisdom and revelation," Eph. i. 17: because he reveals these
things to the soul which flesh and blood is not able to receive
or understand. So then, has the Spirit testified of Christ
unto you? has he " who commanded the light to shine out of
darkness, shined into your heart, to give the light of the
knowledge of the glory of God, in the face of Jesus Christ ?"
And as a fruit and consequence of this,

2. If the wind of the Holy Ghost has blown upon thy soul,
he has blown away some of the filth of hell that did cleave
to thy soul, and has transformed thee into his own image: 2
Cor. iii. 18: "Beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord,
thou art changed into the same image, from glory to glory,
even as by the Spirit of the Lord." If you have the Spirit,

III.] THE DRY BONES IN THE VALLEY OF VISION. 101

the "same mind will be in you, which was also in Christ Je-
sus :" for "he that is joined unto the Lord, is one spirit." You
will imitate and resemble him in his imitable perfections, in
his holiness, meekness, self-denial, patience. He is a holy
God; and wherever he comes, he works holiness, and makes
the soul holy.

3. If this wind has blown upon your souls, then it has dri-
ven you from your lying refuges, and made you take sanctu-
ary in Christ, fie has driven you from the law, and made
you consent to the method of salvation through the righteous-
ness of the Son of God : " I through the law," (says the apos-
tle,) "am dead to the law, that I might live unto God."
This is the design of all the Spirit's influences, to lead sinners
ofl" from sin, off from self, off from the law, that they may
rest in Christ only.

4. If ever you felt any of the reviving gales of this wind
of the Spirit, you will long for new gales and breathings of
it: and when these breathings are suspended and withheld,
your souls will be like to faint, as it were, like a man that
wants breath. You will pant for the air of the Spirit's in-
fluences, like David, Psal. lxiii. 1 : "My soul longeth for thee
in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is;" and Psal.
lxxxiv. 2 : "My soul longeth, yea, even fainteth for the courts
of the Lord: my heart and my flesh crieth out for the living
God." Oh for another gale of his Spirit in public ordinances!

5. If you have felt the breathings of this wind you will not
snuff up the east wind of sin and vanity: John iv. 14: "Who-
soever drinketh of the water that I shall give him, shall never
thirst." You will not thirst immoderately after things of time;
no, no; you will see them to be but mere trash and vanity.
You will "choose that good part which shall not be taken
away from you." You will "seek those things which are
above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God."

6. If this wind has blown upon thy soul, then you will fol-
low the motion of this wind; you will not run cross to this
wind, but will go along with it. I mean, you will yield your-
selves to the conduct of the Spirit speaking in his word; for
"as many as are led by the Spirit of God, thev are the sons
of God."

But, say you, How shall I know if I be led by the Spirit of
God? I answer,

1st, If you follow the Spirit, then "you will not fulfil the
lusts of the flesh," but, on the contrary, you will study to
"crucify the flesh, with the affections and lusts." You will be
ready to cut off your right hand, and to pluck out the right
eye sins at the Lord's command.

2dltj, Then the way wherein you walk will be a way of

9*

102 THE WIND OF THE HOLY GHOST BLOWING UTON [SER.

holiness, for he is a Spirit of sanctification; and a way of
truth; for the Spirit of the Lord is a Spirit of truth, and
he leads into all truth: away of uprightness: Psal. cxliii. 10:
" Thy Spirit is good, lead me into the land of uprightness."

3dly, You know leading imports spontaneousness and wil-
lingness. There is a great difference between leading and
drawing; between being driven by the wind, and following
the motion of the wind. Sometimes, indeed,. the wicked, a
hypocrite, a natural man, by a strong north wind of convic-
tion, may be driven on to duty through the force of terror.
But the believer is a volunteer; he freely yields himself to
the Spirit's conduct; he rejoices to work righteousness, and
to remember God in his ways. Whenever he hears the
Spirit whispering in his ears, and saying, "This is the way,
walk ye in it," presently, -he complies. When the Spirit of
the Lord says, "Come," he immediately echoes back again,
and says, " Behold, I come unto thee ; for thou art the Lord
my God." Now, try yourselves by these things.

The secimd use shall be exhortation. Is it so, that the in-
fluences of the Spirit are so necessary in order to our revi-
val? then be exhorted to look up to Heaven, and cry for the
breathings of the Spirit. O sirs, will you turn the words of
my text into a prayer; and say, "Come from the four winds,

0 breath ; and breathe upon these slain, that they may live?"

1 might enforce this exhortation by many motives: I only
name them.

Motive 1. Consider, that spiritual deadness is very prevalent
in the day in which we live. There is a great multitude of
"dry bones" scattered up and down our "valley of vision."
There are many that caFry the marks of a deadly leprosy on
their foreheads: their atheism, their profanity, irreligion, and
other gross abominations, plainly declare to the world, that
they are " dead in trespasses and sins." And, alas ! may it not
be for matter of lamentation, that even many of those, who,
in the judgment of charity, have " the root of the matter," the
principles of spiritual life, are yet under sad decays of the life
of grace? Alas! it is not with Scotland's ministers and pro-
fessors as once it has been. I might produce many melan-
choly evidences of this, if time would allow. Remember those
already mentioned, the genera! loathing of the word, &x.

Mot. 2. Consider the evil and danger of spiritual deadness.
The evil of it will appear,

Is/, If you consider that it is a frame of spirit directly con-
trary to the command of God. God commands us to " present
ourselves a living sacrifice unto him:" and, indeed, this "is.
our reasonable service," Rom. xii. 1. Yea, it is contrary to
the very nature of God; for God is a Spirit; and they that

III.] THE DRY BONES IN THE VALLEY OF VISION. 103

worship him, must worship him in spirit and in truth," 1 John
iv. 24.

2dly, The evil and danger of it appears farther from this ;
that it unfits the soul for every duty, and mars our commu-
nion and fellowship with God. God meets the lively Christian
in the way of duty : " Thou mcetest him that rejoiceth, and
worketh righteousness; those that remember thee in thy ways."
But, for the man that comes to him with a Laodicean, deadr
lifeless, and lukewarm frame of soul, he will not hold commu-
nion with that man ; no, he " will spew him out of his mouth."

3dly, It opens a door for all other sins, and renders a man
an easy prey to every temptation. A dead man can make
no manner of resistance ; he is carried down the stream with-
out opposition. Then,

4thly, It lays a foundation for sad and terrible challenges
from conscience. David's spiritual deadness brought him to
that pass, in the end, that he is made to cry out of broken
bones, &c.

Mot. 3. Consider, that as the breathings of the Spirit are
necessary for every duty, so particularly for that solemn work
which you have before your hands of commemorating the
death of the exalted Redeemer. I might here let you see,
how the influences of the Spirit are necessary for every part
of your work, if time would allow. Without the Spirit's in-
fluences of light, you can never examine yourselves to pur-
pose : it is " the Spirit of the Almighty that giveth understand-
ing" how to search out "the mystery of iniquity" in the heart,
which is "deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked."
And then, without the Spirit you cannot mourn for sin ; for
it is the kindly influences of the Spirit that thaws the heart
into evangelical tears, Zech. xii. 10. Without the Spirit you
cannot discern the broken body of a Redeemer ; for it is the
Spirit that testifies of Christ. '"I will pour the Spirit of grace
upon the house of David, and inhabitants of Jerusalem ;" and
then follows, " They shall look upon me whom they have
pierced, and they shall mourn for him." In a word, you can-
not exercise any grace, you cannot wrestle in prayer, you
cannot have any right view of the contrivance of redemp-
tion, you cannot " take hold of God's covenant," or improve
any promise of the covenant, without the Spirit.

Mot. 4. Consider the excellency of these influences of the
Spirit.

1st, They blow from an excellent quarter and original : the
Holy Ghost is the author of them ; and you know he " pro-
ceeds from the Father and the Son." So that a whole Trinity,
as it were, convey themselves with these breathings.

2dly, They are the purchase of a Redeemer's blood, and

104 THE WIND OF THE HOLY GHOST BLOWING UPON [SER.

therefore excellent. There is not the least grace, or the
least gale of the Spirit, that is given to believers, but it cost
Christ the blood of his heart. He purchased grace as well as
glory.

3dly, These influences of the Spirit, as it were, supply
Christ's room while he is in glory. And truly, sirs, I may
safely say it upon scripture-warrant, that the presence of the
Spirit with believers upon earth, is a greater blessing than
the mere bodily presence of Christ : and, therefore, Christ tells
his disciples by way of comfort, (John xvi. 7 :) " If I go not
away, the Comforter will not come unto you ; but if I depart,
I will send him unto you." As if he had said, " When I am
gone, the Spirit will be poured out from on high, which is
far better for you than my bodily presence/'

4thly, These breathings of the Spirit are pledges of glory,
the earnest-penny of the inheritance: Eph. i. 13, 14: "After
that ye believed, ye were sealed with that Holy Spirit of pro-
mise, which is the earnest of our inheritance."

5thly, Their excellency appears from the excellent effects
that they produce upon the soul. They beautify the soul on
whom they fall, and make it like " a field which the Lord
hath blessed." They render the soul " fruitful in every good
word and work :" Hos. xiv. 5 : " I will be as the dew unto
Israel:" and what follows? "he shall grow as the lily, and
cast forth his roots as Lebanon." Is. xliv. 3 : "I will pour wa-
ter upon him that is thirsty, and floods upon the dry ground:
I will pour my Spirit upon thy seed, and my blessing upon
thine offspring;" and then follows, (ver. 4,) "They shall spring
up as among the grass, as willows by the water courses."

Quest. What advice or counsel do you give, in order to our
obtaining or recovering the enlightening and reviving gales
of the Spirit?

Aiis. 1. Be sensible of your deadness, and mourn over it ; for
the Lord " comforts them that mourn in Zion." He will
" give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourn-
ing, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness:" and
then follows, " They shall be called trees of righteousness,
the planting of the Lord, that he might be glorified," Is. lxi.

2. Be much upon the mount of divine meditation ; for here
it is that the Spirit of the Lord breathes : " While I was
musing the fire burned," says David, Psal. xxxix. 3; Psal.
lxiii. 5, 6 : " When I meditate on thee in the night-watches,
my soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness."

3. Cry mightily to God for these influences, that he would
pour down his Spirit from on high : for " if ye, being evil,"
says Christ, " know how to give good gifts unto your chil-

III.] THE DRY BONES IN THE VALLEY OF VISION. 105

dren ; how much more shall your heavenly Father give the
Holy Spirit to them that ask him?" Luke xi. 13. Plead the
promises of the new covenant; and, particularly, be much in
pleading this absolute promise of the Spirit, Is. xliv. 3 : "I
will pour water upon him that is thirsty, and floods upon the
dry ground : I will pour my Spirit upon thy seed," &c. Ezek.
xxxvi. 27 : "I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you
to walk in my statutes." But still remember, that these pro-
mises are to be managed by the prayer of faith. We are to
turn God's promises into prayers ; for it is added, (ver. 37,)
" For these things I will be inquired of by the house of Israel,
to do it for them."

4. Make conscience of waiting on him in all the duties and
ordinances of his appointment, particularly the preaching of
the word. And beware of a legal frame of spirit in your at-
tending upon these ordinances, as if thereby you could merit
any thing at God's hand, or as if God were obliged to you
for what you do this way ; for " we receive the Spirit," (says
the apostle,) " not by the works of the law, but by the hearing
of faith." Gospel ordinances are the usual chariots in
which the Spirit rides, when he makes his entrance at first,
or when he returns into the soul after absence.

5. Lastly, Study to have union with Christ ; for it is upon
them that are in Christ, that " the Spirit of God and of glory "
rests : " He that is joined unto the Lord is one Spirit " with
him. " The oil of gladness," that was poured upon the head
of our exalted Aaron, runs down upon the skirts of his gar-
ments, upon every member of his mystical body.

SERMON IV.

THE KING HELD IN THE GALLERIES.*

The King is held in the galleries. — Cant. vii. 5.

Our blessed Lord Jesus, who is represented under the no-
tion of a Bridegroom in this book, from the fourth verse of
the preceding chapter, breaks out in commendation of his

* Preached on Sabbath evening, immediately after the celebration of the
Lord's supper, at Dunfermline, June 2, 1717.

106 THE KING HELD IN THE GALLERIES. [SER.

spouse and. bride, venting the love of his heart toward her
in many warm and pathetic expressions ; and his discourse
is continued to the 10th verse of this chapter ; where wre find
him running out in commendation of his church in seve-
ral particulars. He commends her from her spiritual birth
and pedigree, calling her a prince's daughter, ver. 1. The
saints of God are royally descended ; by their second birth
they are sprung of "the Ancient of days;" "born, not of blood,
nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of
God." Again ; he commends her for the beauty of holiness
shining in her walk and conversation : " How beautiful are
thy feet with shoes, O prince's daughter !" Holiness is the at-
tire of the bride of Christ ; " She is arrayed in fine linen, clean
and white, which is the righteousness of saints." But time
will not allow me to explain the several particulars of her
commendation. The words of my text are an abrupt sen-
tence; in which he expresses the wonderful complacency
which he took in her society, and the overpowering influence
that her faith and his faithfulness, his love, and her loveli-
ness, had to make him stay and abide in her company : The
King is held in the galleries. In which words we may notice
these particulars : —

1. Christ's character and office ; he is a person of royal dig-
nity, no less than a king, and the King by way of eminency.
The church of God owns no other king but Christ ; for it is
he whom God the Father has set to rule upon the holy hill of
Zion : and it is a manifest invasion of Christ's prerogative,
for pope, prelate, or potentate, to usurp a sovereignty and head-
ship over the church of Christ; an indignity which he will
not suffer to pass without suitable resentment. He here owns
himself to be the King of Zion, and will maintain the dignity
of his crown against all that dare invade it. 2. In the words
we have the place of converse between Christ and his blessed
spouse and bride; it is in the galleries. It is the same word
in the original which we have, Cant. i. 17 : " The beams of
our house are cedar, and our rafters, or galleries, of fir."
Where, by galleries, in both places, according to the judicious
Durham, we are to understand the ordinances of the gospel,
in which Christ and his people do tryst and keep company one
with another. Why gospel ordinances are thus designed, I
may show more particularly afterwards. 3. We have the
sweet constraint that this royal Bridegroom was under to tarry
in the galleries with his spouse : he here owns that he was
held, or bound, as the word signifies, in the galleries. Her faith
and love laid him under a voluntary arrest to tarry with her;
like the disciples going to Emmaus, Luke xxiv. 29 : " She con-
strained him to abide with her." An expression much like

IV.] THE KING HELD IN THE GALLERIES. 107

this we have, Cant. iii. 4. After a weary night of desertion,
and much tedious inquiry, she at length meets her beloved,
and thereupon she cries out, " 1 held him, and would not let
him go."

Observe, " That Christ, the blessed King of Zion, conde-
scends sometimes to be held and detained by his people in the
galleries of gospel ordinances. The King is held in the galleries."

I. I will give some account of this royal King.

II. Of the galleries of the King.

III. Of this holding of the King in the galleries.

IV. Apply.

I. The first thing proposed is, to give some account of this
royal King. But alas! "Who can declare his generation?'
All I shall do, is only, 1. To prove that he is a King. 2. That
he is the King by way of eminence and excellence.

First, That he is a King, appears from these particulars: —

1. From the Father's designation and ordination. From all
eternity the Father designed and ordained this dignity for him
as our Mediator: for I do not now speak of his natural and
essential, but of his dispensatory or mediatory kingdom : " I
have set my King upon my holy hill of Zion," Psal. ii. 6; and
Psal. Ixxxix. 27 : "1 will make him my first-born, higher than
the kings of the earth."

2. It appears from the prophecies that went of him before
his actual manifestation in our nature. It was prophesied
that the sceptre of Judah should terminate in him, Gen. xlix.
10; that he should succeed David, and sit upon the throne,
Luke i. 32, 33, compared with Psal. cxxxii. 11: "The Lord
shall give unto him the throne of his father David; and he
shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever, and of his king-
dom there shall be no end;" Is. ix. 6; and "the government
shall be upon his shoulder."

3. It appears from the types and shadows that prefigured
him. He was typified by Melchizedek, who is called "the
King of righteousness, and the King of peace." He was typified
by David, and frequently called by the name of David in the
psalms and prophets: Hos. iii. 5: "The children of Israel shall
return and seek the Lord their God, and David their king."
He was typified by Solomon, and by his name he is common-
ly called in this book of the Song.

4. It appears from the princely titles that are given him in
scripture. He is called "the Prince of peace, the King of
righteousness, and the King of kings and Lords of lords ;" and
it is God the Father's will, that " every one should confess,
that Jesus Christ is Lord."

5. It appears from the princely prerogatives and royalties
that are ussigned him by his Father. He has anointed him

108 THE KING HELD IN THE GALLERIES. [SER.

to be King with an incomparable oil, even " with the oil of
gladness; I have found David my servant; with my holy oil
have I anointed him," Psal. lxxxix. 20. He has installed
him in the government with the solemnity of an open pro-
clamation from heaven, by " the voice which came from the
excellent glory, This is my beloved Son in whom I am well
pleased; hear ye him." He has put a sceptre of righteous-
ness, and a rod of iron, in his hand, by which he is enabled
to defend his subjects, destroy his enemies, and " break them
in pieces as a potter's vessel." He has given him ambassa-
dors to negotiate the affairs of his kingdom: " He gave some,
apostles: and some, prophets: and some, evangelists: and
some, pastors and teachers : for the perfecting of the saints,
for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of
Christ." He has given him vast territories, even " the Hea-
then for his inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth
for his possession : his dominion reaches from sea to sea, and
from the river to the ends of the earth." It extends not only
to the outward, but likewise to the inward man. He has a
legislative authority, he can make and explain, and abrogate
laws at his pleasure. And when his laws are broken, he has
the power of acquitting or condemning committed to him :
" For the Father judgeth no man ; but hath committed all
judgment unto the Son." Thus, you see he is a King.

Secondly, As he is a King, so he is the King by way of
eminence and excellence. And this will be abundantly clear,
if we consider,

1. That he is the King eternal, 1 Tim. i. 17: "the ever-
lasting Father," or, " the Father of eternity," Is. ix. 6. Other
kings are but of yesterday, mere upstarts, and, like a gourd,
their glory withers in a night. But here is a King that is
<; from everlasting to everlasting," the true " Alpha and
Omega, the beginning and the ending." Mic. v. 2. This
" ruler in Israel, his goings forth were from of old, from ever-
lasting." And his throne is so firmly established, that it shall
stand through all periods of time, yea, through the endless
years of eternity: Psal. xlv. 6 : " Thy throne, O God, is for
ever and ever."

2. He is called the King immortal, 1 Tim. i. 17. In the
last chapter of the same epistle, " He only hath immortality."
The potentates of the earth are but kings of clay ; they and
their thrones have their " foundations in the dust, and to dust
they shall return." Death, the king of terrors, has raised
his trophies of victory over the most renowned potentates :
they who made the world to tremble with their sword, have
been at last vanquished by death. But here is a King that
never dies. It is true, death did once, by his own consent,

IV.] THE KING HELD IN THE GALLERIES. 109

obtain a seeming victory over him ; but in that victory death
itself was plagued, and the grave destroyed, Hos. xiii. 14.
Yea, " it was not possible that he should be held in the bonds
of death :" no, he vanquished death in his own territories,
and returned carrying the spoil of his enemy along with him,
making open proclamation of the victory which he had
gained to all his friends for their encouragement: Rev. i. 18:
" I am he that was dead ; and behold, I am alive for ever-
more ; and have the keys of hell and of death."

3. He is the King invisible. Some eastern princes were
seldom seen by their subjects, to beget the greater reverence
and estimation among their subjects. But this was only an
affectation of grandeur. Christ, the King of Zion, is indeed
visible to the eye of faith by the saints militant, and visible
to the eye of sense by the saints triumphant; however, the
thousand thousandth part of his divine glory can never be
seen or searched out by any created understanding ; for " he
dwells in the light which no man can approach unto, whom no
man hath seen nor can see," 1 Tim. vi. 16. He is an unseen
and unknown Christ by the greatest part of the world, as to
his worth and excellency. And as to his corporeal presence,
he is invisible by us in this state of mortality : for the heaven
must contain him, " until the times of restitution of all things ;"
and then, indeed, " every eye shall see him, and they also
which pierced him."

4. He is the only blessed and happy King, 1 Tim. vi. 15:
" the blessed and only Potentate." The crowns of other
princes have their thorns, which make them to sit uneasy
upon their heads ; and the toil and trouble of government is
sometimes so great, that the very beggar on the dunghill is
happier in some respects than the king upon the throne. But
Zion's King is in every respect happy and blessed. He is
the darling of heaven and earth, the delight of his Father,
and " the Desire of all nations." His crown does not totter,
his subjects do not rebel ; he is happy in them, and they in
him : " Men shall be blessed in him ; and all nations shall
call him blessed."

5. He is the absolute and universal King. His kingdom is
universal in respect of all persons; the highest potentate, as
well as the meanest beggar, are the subjects of his empire.
This is his royal " name written on his vesture, and on his
thigh, the King of kings, and Lord of lords," Rev. xix. 16.
Whenever he will, he casts the mighty out of their seats, and
advances them of low degree ; sets the beggar on the throne,
and causes the king to sit on the dunghill: '« He cuts off the
spirit of princes, and is terrible to the kings of the earth."
Again ; his government is universal in respect of all places.

VOL. i. 10

110 THE KING HELD IN THE GALLERIES. [SER.

We read of several potentates who have grasped at universal
monarchy : but never any of them attained it, though, in-
deed, they extended their dominions far and wide. But
here is a King whose empire reaches to heaven, earth, and
hell. Again ; it is universal in respect of all times : " He
shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever, and of his king-
dom there shall be no end."

1 might tell you farther, to illustrate the eminency of this
King, that he is the King of glory, the almighty King, the King
of saints, the King of nations. But from what has been said,
we may see that he is a King of fncomparable excellence, and
what an honour it is to be with him, and to hold him in the gal-
leries. But I go on to,

II. The secojid thing proposed, which was to speak a little
of the galleries in which this royal King trysts and keeps company
with his people. We read, Song i. 4, of the chambers of the
King ; and, chap. ii. 4, of the King's banqneting-house, or cellars
of -wine, into which the spouse had been brought : the same
is called here the galleries of the King, viz : these ordinances
in which the Lord Jesus reveals himself to his people in the
house of their pilgrimage. Here I will only, 1. Mention a
few of these galleries. 2. Inquire why ordinances are com-
pared to galleries.

First, I will only mention these few galleries.

1. There is the secret gallery of meditation, in which David
found God's "loving kindness to be better than life," and had
his " soul satisfied as with marrow and fatness."

2. There is the gallery of prayer, in which Jacob wrestled
with the angel of the covenant, and, like a prince, prevailed
for the blessing.

3. There is a gallery of reading of the scriptures, in which
the Ethiopian eunuch got such a discovery of the promised
Messiah, as made him "go on his way rejoicing."

4. There is a gallery of Christian converse about soul-mat-
ters; in which the disciples going to Emmaus had such a
meeting with Christ, as made " their hearts burn within them."

5. There is the gallery of preaching, or of hearing of the
word preached ; " by the foolishness of which God saveth
them that believed." Here it was that Lydia's heart was
opened. And,

6. The sacraments of the New Testament, baptism and the
Lord's supper, are galleries in which Zion's King displays his
glory before his people. The last of these is, by way of emi-
nence, called the communion ; not only because in it the people
of God have communion one with another, but because in it
they have " fellowship with the Father, and with his son Jesus
Christ"

IV.] THE KING HELD IN THE GALLERIES. Ill

Secondly, As to the second thing here, why are these ordi-
nances compared to galleries? I answer,

1. Galleries are magnificent apartments of royal and stately
buildings. So there is a divine magnificence in the ordinances
of the gospel, when countenanced with the presence of the
great Master of assemblies. It is true, they appear mean and
contemptible in the eyes of a profane world, who are strangers
to the power of godliness; but the man "who has his senses
spiritually exercised to discern good and evil," sees a divine
greatness and magnificence in them, suitable to the state and
royalty of " the Prince of (he kings of the earth." And when
the man is admitted to see the power and glory of God in
them, he cannot but join issue with Jacob, saying, " This is
none other but the house of God, and this is the gate of hea-
ven," Gen. xxviii. 17.

2. Galleries are lightsome and pleasant apartments. O how
pleasant and lightsome are ordinances to a gracious soul! Let
a child of God be where he will, he reckons it but " a dry and
thirsty land, where no water is," if he be not admitted to the
galleries of ordinances, Psal. Ixiii. 1, 2. See how the same holy
man expresses his delight in ordinances, Psal. lxxxiv. 1: "How
amiable are thy tabernacles, O Lord of hosts ! " I am sure
this will be the language of every soul that has been in the
galleries with the King this day.

3. Galleries are places of walk and converse, as is plain
from Ezek. xli. 15. When a king, or great man designs to
be familiar with his friend, he will take a turn with him in
the galleries. So it is in gospel-ordinances that Christ walks,
and converses with his people. Here it is that he gives them
audience, allows them to be free and familiar with him, draws
aside the veil, communicates the secrets of his covenant, and
mysteries of his kingdom, which are hid from the wise and
prudent" of the world.

4. Galleries are places of public feasting and entertainment
of friends. So it is in the mount of gospel-ordinances that the
Lord has provided for his people, " a feast of fat things, a feast
of wines on the lees, of fat things full of marrow, of wines on
the lees well refined." Here it is that Christ says to his peo-
ple, "Eat, O friends; drink, yea, drink abundantly, O beloved."
Thus, 1 have given you some account of the galleries of the
King.

III. The third thing proposed was, to speak of the holding
of the King in the galleries ; which is what I had principally
in view. And here I will show what this holding of Christ
supposes and implies, both on the believer's part and on Christ's
part.

First, What does it suppose and imply on the believer's part?

112 THE KING HELD IJV THE GALLERIES. [SER.

1. It necessarily supposes a meeting with Christ in the gal-
leries; for no person can hold that which they never had. To
you that never knew what it was to enjoy communion with
Christ in his ordinances, this doctrine is a hidden mystery.

2. It supposes a high esteem of Christ, a love to, and liking
of his company. We are at no pains to hold those for whose
company we care not; but when we are pressing with a friend
to stay with us, it says that we value his company. Sirs,
there are various opinions about Christ among the hearers of
the gospel. The profane world look upon him as a severe and
tyrannical master, and therefore "they will not have this man
to reign over them. They say unto the Almighty, Depart from
us." Again; carnal, lukewarm professors, "see no form nor
comeliness in him, why he should be desired : " and therefore
they are ready to say w i th the daughters of Jerusalem, " What
is thy beloved more than another beloved '( " They cannot see
any engaging excellency in the KingofZion. But it is other-
wise with the believer : the glory and beauty of Christ darken
all created excellency in his eye ; his language is, " Whom
have I in heaven but thee? and there is none upon earth
that I desire besides thee. He is the apple-tree among the
trees of the wood ; the standard-bearer among ten thou-
sand."

3. On the believer's part, this holding of Christ supposes a
fear of losing him, or of being deprived of his company. The
soul that has met with Christ, is afraid of a parting. It is
true, the believer has no ground to fear the loss of Christ's real
and gracious presence ; for the union between Christ and him
is indissoluble ; that promise can never fail, " I will never
leave thee nor forsake thee." But as for his sensible and com-
fortable presence, they both may, and frequently do lose it ;
the child of light many times walks in darkness. Now, it is
the loss of this presence of Christ that the soul fears, when it
is concerned to hold or bind the King in the galleries. Neither
is this a fear of despondency, but a fear of activity and dili-
gence.

4. It supposes a seeming willingness in Christ to withdraw
from his people after their sweetest enjoyments. Many times
Christ's carriage in his dispensations towards his people seems
to have a language much like that to Jacob, when he said to
him, Let me go; or like his carriage towards the two disciples
going to Emmaus, he made as if he would leave their com-
pany, and go on in his way. And his carriage seems to have
this language, especially when he challenges them for bad en-
tertainment they have formerly given him, when he lets loose
the tempter to buffet them after signal manifestations, or when
he tries them with sharp troubles and afflictions. In all these

IV.] THE KING HELD IN THE GALLERIES. 113

cases he seems as it were to be turning about the face of his
throne from them.

5. It implies a holy solicitude, and earnest desire of soul,
to have his presence continued. When Christ is hiding, there
is nothing the believer desires more than his return : " O that
I knew where I might find him ! " And when they have found
him, there is nothing they desire more than to keep his com-
pany, or that he would not be any more to them "as a stran-
ger, or way-faring man." O ! says the soul, when it gets a
meeting with the Lord Jesus, " A bundle of myrrh is my well-
beloved unto me; he shall lie all night betwixt my breasts,"
Cant. i. 13. As if she had said, ' If he will stay with me, I will
deny him nothing I can afford ; I will entertain him with the
highest evidences of cordial affection.'

6. It implies an ardent breathing of soul after more and
more nearness to Christ and farther discoveries of him. There
is not such a high discovery of Christ attainable in this life,
but there is always a step beyond it. The believer would
always have more of Christ, Cant. ii. 5. The spouse there is
brought into the banqueting-house, and allowed to feast and
feed liberally upon the Redeemer's love, and to sit down under
his displayed banner: and yet at that very instant she cries
out, " Stay me with flagons, comfort me with apples ; for I am
sick of love." As if she had said, ' Let me lie down among
these comforts; let me roll myself perpetually among the
blessed apples of the tree of life.' They who have got so
much of Christ as to be tired of his company, never knew
what his presence was.

7. It implies a firm resolution not to part with his company :
"I held him," says the spouse, "and would not let him go,"
Song, iii. 4. The like we see in Jacob, " I will not let thee
go, except thou bless me ; " that is, I am resolved, that thou
and I shall not part, cost what it will.

8. It implies a cleaving or adhering to Christ with the whole
strength and vigour of the soul.

Quest. How, or in what does the soul put forth its strength
in cleaving to Christ? I answer, it does it by these three espe-
cially. : —

1st, By the lively exercise of faith. Hence faith is called
an apprehending of Christ, and a cleaving to him, as Barnabas
exhorts the Christians at Antioch to "cleave unto the Lord
with full purpose of heart." The poor soul says to Christ in
this case, as Ruth did to Naomi, " Entreat me not to leave thee,
or to return from following after thee : for whither thou goest,
I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people
shall be my people, and thy God my God." An instance of
this cleaving to Christ we have in the Canaanitish woman ;

10*

114 THE KING HELD Iff THE GALLERIES. [&ER.

she, as it were, clasps about him, and will by no means quit
her hold, notwithstanding all repulses.

2dly, The soul binds or holds Christ in the galleries by
sincere and ardent love. Love is a very uniting affection ;
by this one soul cleaves to another. As Shechem's soul did
cleave to Dinah, and Jonathan's to David ; so by love the
soul cleaves to Christ : and this is a cord that cannot be easily
broken; Cant. viii. 7: u Many waters cannot quench love,
neither can the floods drown it: if a man would give all the
substance of his house for love, it would utterly be contemned."
See for this also, Rom. viii. 35 : " Who shall separate us from
the love of Christ?" &c.

3dly, The soul cleaves to Christ by fervent and ardent
prayer, Jacob held the Angel of the covenant, and would not
let him go: Hos. xii. 3, 4: "By his strength he had power
with God: yea, he had power over the angel, and prevailed:
for he wept and made supplication unto him. — The effectual
fervent prayer of a righteous man " has a strange prevalence
with Christ ; it offers a holy kind of violence to him ; and so
binds him in the galleries that he cannot depart. Thus, you
see what it implies on the believer's part.

Secondly, What does it imply on Christ's part, The King is
held in the galleries?

1. It implies amazing grace and condescension toward the
work of his own hands : " He humbleth himself," even when
he " beholds the things that are in heaven :" much more when
he bows the heavens, and walks with his people in the gal-
leries of ordinances ; and yet more when he is held by them
in the galleries. This is such strange condescension, that
Solomon, the greatest of kings, and the wisest of men, won-
dered at it; and wise men do not wonder at trifles: "Will
God," saith he, "in very deed dwell with men on the earth?"

2. It implies Christ's great delight in the society of his peo-
ple. He loves to be among them; where two or three of them
are met in his name, he will be in the midst of them : " He
rejoiced," from all eternity, " in the habitable part of the earth,
and his delights were with the sons of men," Prov. viii. 31.

3. It implies, that there are certain cords which have a
constraining power to retain him in his people's company :
and they must be strong cords, indeed, with which Omnipo-
tence is bound. I mention two or three.

1st, He is bound by the cord of his own faithfulness, which
he has pledged in the promise. He has promised, " I will
never leave thee nor forsake thee;" and he will not deny his
word, "his covenant he will not break." This was the pre-
vailing argument with which Moses detained him in the camp
of Israel, when he was threatening utterly to consume that

IV.] THE KING HELD IN THE GALLERIES. 115

wicked people, Exod. xxxii. 10, 13: " Let me alone," saith
the Lord to Moses, " that I may consume them. Remember
Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, thy servants, to whom thou swarest
by thine own self, and saidst unto (hem, I will multiply your
seed as the stars of heaven." He binds him with his own
covenant, ratified with the solemnity of an oath.

2dly, He is bound in the galleries by the cord of his own
love. As a compassionate mother cannot leave her child,
when it cleaves to her, and clasps about her: so Christ's com-
passionate heart will not let him leave his people ; his love
to them surpasses the love of the most compassionate mother
or tender-hearted parent: "Can a woman forget her sucking
child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her
womb 1 yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee.
Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands, thy
walls are continually before me," Is. xlix. 15, 16.

3dly, He is bound to them by the bond of marriage : " Thy
Maker is thine husband, the Lord of hosts is his name : he
has betrothed them to himself in righteousness, judgment,
loving kindness, and mercies; and he rejoiceth over them,
as the bridegroom rejoiceth over the bride :" and because
of this he will not, he cannot leave them.

IV. The fourth thing was, the application of the doctrine:
and the Jirst use is for information. Is it so that Zion's King
is sometimes held in the galleries of gospel ordinances 1 Then,

1. See hence the happiness and dignity of the saints of
God, beyond the rest of the world. We reckon that person
highly honoured, who is admitted to the King's presence-
chamber, and to walk with him in his galleries. "This ho-
nour have all the saints," either in a greater or less degree:
"Truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son
Jesus Christ." And therefore I may infer, that they are " the
excellent ones in the earth, and more excellent than their
neighbour. — Since thou wast precious in my sight, thou hast
been honourable."

2. See hence why the saints put such a value and estimate
on gospel-ordinances. David every where declares his esteem
of them; "I have loved the habitation of thy house, and the
place where thine honour dwelle-th. He would "rather be
a door-keeper in the house of his God, than dwell in the tents
of sin." Why, what is the matter? The plain matter is
this; they are the galleries where Zion's King doth walk,
and manifest his glory to his subjects: Psal. xxvii. 4: "One
thing have I desired of the Lord, that will I seek after, that
I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life,
to behold the beauty of the Lord." I pass other uses, and go
to a

116 the king held in the galleries. [ser.

Second use of this doctrine, and that is by way of trial and
examination. My friends, you have been in the galleries of
the King of Zion ; but that is not enough : and therefore let
me ask, Have you been in the galleries with the King t and
have you been holding the King in the galleries 1 There are
many poor ignorant creatures, who, if they get a token, and
win to a communion-table, think all is right and clear between
God and them ; like the harlot, Prov. vii. 14 : " Peace-offer-
ings are with me ; this day have I paid my vows." But, Oh,
sirs, remember, folk may win in to the outer galleries of ordi-
nances, and never win in to the inner gallery of communion
with the Lord Jesus. For your trial as to this matter, I shall
only propose a few questions to you.

Quest. 1. What did you hear in the galleries? what said
the King to you ? For, as I told you, the galleries of ordi-
nances are the places of audience, where the King of Zion
converses with his people. And readily, if he has spoken
with you, you will remember what he said ; for he " speaks
as never man spake ; he has the tongue of the learned, and
his words are as goads, and as nails fastened in a sure place."
The spouse, we find, had been in the chamber of presence,
and in the banqueting-house; she tells that the King spake
with her, and she remembers what he said, Cant. ii. 10: "My
beloved spake, and said unto me, Rise up, my love, my fair
one, and come away." So then, did the King speak with you
in the galleries 1 did he speak a word of conviction, or a word
of comfort, a word of peace, or a word of consolation 1 or
whatever it be. Quest. How shall I know that it was his
voice, and not the voice of a stranger ? Answ. The sheep of
Christ have a natural instinct by which they know his voice ;
it has a different sound from the voice of a stranger ; and if
you be the sheep of Christ, you will know it better than I
can tell you it by words. When he speaks, he makes the
heart to burn; and you will be ready to say with the disci-
ples, " Did not our heart burn within us, while he talked with
us" in the galleries? His words have kindled a flame of love
that "many waters cannot quench;" a flame of zeal for his
glory ; a flame of holy joy, so that you will be ready to say
with David, "God hath spoken in his holiness, I will rejoice."
When he speaks, he makes the soul to speak, whose lips were
formerly closed ; for his voice " makes the lips of those that
are asleep, to speak." If he has said, "Seek ye my face;"
your souls have echoed, "Thy face, Lord, will I seek." If
he has said, " Come ;" thy soul has answered, " Behold, I
come unto thee ; for thou art the Lord my God." If he has
spoken peace to you this day, in the galleries, you will be
concerned not to return again to folly ; you have been made

IV.] THE KING HELD IN THE GALLERIES. 117

to say, with Ephraim, " What have I to do any more with
idols'?"

Quest. 2. I ask, What did you see in the galleries? Many
sights are to he seen in the galleries of ordinances, and parti-
cularly in that of the Lord's supper. Here the Lamb of God
is to he seen, " which taketh away the sin of the world ;" and
in a crucified Christ, who is evidently set forth in that ordi-
nance, all the divine attrihutes and perfections shine with a
greater lustre, than in the large volume of the creation. Here
we might see the seemingly different claims of mercy and jus-
tice, with respect to fallen man, sweetly reconciled : the heal-
ing overture is, that the surety shall die in the room of the
sinner; and thus justice shall be satisfied, and mercy for ever
magnified. Here you might see the holiness and equity of
God's nature sparkling in flames of wrath against him who
"was made sin" for you; the sword awakened, even "against
the man that is God's fellow," wounds and bruises him for
your iniquities. There you might see the power of God spoil-
ing principalities and powers, shaking the foundation of the
devil's kingdom, and laying the foundation of a happy eternity
for an elect world, in the death and blood of the eternal Son.
In this ordinance you might have seen him writing his love
in characters of blood ; love which has neither brim, bottom,
nor boundaries. Here he was to be seen as the " Amen, the
faithful and true witness," girt with the golden girdle of faith-
fulness, sealing the covenant, and confirming it with many.
Now, I say, have you seen any thing of this ? Are you say-
ing, " We beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten
of the Father? Did any of these divine rays of Zion's King
break forth upon your soul ? If so, then I am sure it has
had something of a transforming efficacy with it ; according
to what we have, 2 Cor. iii. 18 : " All we with open face, be-
holding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into
the same image, from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of
the Lord." Jacob's cattle, you know, by the very working
of fancy in the conception, by beholding the pilled rods,
brought forth their young speckled and spotted. Now, if
fancy could work such a resemblance, what must the eye of
faith do, when it beholds the glory of God in the face of
Christ, who is " the express image of his person ?" John i. 14,
16 : " The word was made flesh, and we beheld his glory, the
glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and
truth. And of his fulness have all we received, and grace
for grace." It is remarkable, that by beholding his glory, we
receive grace for grace. As the wax receives letter for let-
ter from the seal, or as the child receives limb for limb from
the parent; so, by beholding Christ, we receive grace for

118 THE KING HELD IN THE GALLERIES. [SER.

grace from him : so as there is never a grace in Christ, when
it is seen by faith, but it works something of a parallel grace
on the soul. So then, try yourselves by this, and you may
know whether you have been indeed in the galleries with the
King.

Quest. 3. I ask, What have you tasted in the galleries ?
for, as you heard, galleries are for feasting and entertainment
of friends. Now, did the King say to you, or is he yet say-
ing it, " Eat, O friends, drink, yea, drink abundantly, O be-
loved V Did he make you to " eat of the fatness of his house,"
and to " drink of the rivers of his pleasures ?" " If so be ye
have tasted that the Lord is gracious," then I am sure you
will, " as new-born babes, desire and thirst after the sincere
milk of the word:" you will be saying, " Stay me with flagons,
comfort me with apples ;" let me have more and more of this
delicious fare. If you have been feasted with the King in
the galleries, the world, and all the pleasures of it, will be
as nothing in your eye, in comparison of Christ and the in-
timations of his love. O, says David, when his soul was
" satisfied as with marrow and fatness," " Thy loving kind-
ness is better than life," and all the comforts of life ; they are
but loss and dung when laid in the balance with him. If
you have been feasting in the galleries, you will be desirous
that others may share of the meal you have gotten ; and,
with David, be ready to say, " O taste and see that God is
good." You will proclaim the praises of his goodness, as
you have occasion, to them that fear him : " Come, and hear,
all ye that fear God, and I will declare what he hath done
for my soul." And readily it will be the desire of your soul
to abide in his presence, and to dwell, as it were, in the
galleries of ordinances. O " it is good for us to be here ! let
us build tabernacles here," said Peter, on the mount of trans-
figuration. That will be the language of thy soul, Psal. xxvii.
4 : " One thing ha ve I desired of the Lord, that will I seek af-
ter, that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of
my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in
his temple." So much for a use of trial.

Use third may be in a short word directed to two or three
sorts of persons. 1, To you who know nothing of this doc-
trine, never met with the King in the galleries. 2. To you
who have had a comfortable meeting with him. 3. To those
who perhaps are complaining, " I sought him, but I found
him not."

First, To you who never yet knew what it was to have
a meeting with Zion's King in the galleries of gospel-ordi-
nances ; and perhaps, Gallio-like, you " care for none of these
things." To you I shall only say,

IV.] THE KING HELD IN THE GALLERIES. 119

1. Your condition is truly sad and lamentable, beyond ex-
pression or imagination. You are " aliens to Israel's com-
monwealth, strangers to the covenant of promise, without
God, without Christ, and without hope in the world. — You
are in the gall of bitterness, and in the bond of iniquity ;"
under the curse of God, and condemnation of the law, and
absolute power of Satan, " who rules in the children of dis-
obedience." You are lying within the sea-mark of God's
wrath ; and if you die in this condition, you will drink the
dregs of the cup of his indignation through all eternity.

2. If you have in this case adventured to the galleries of
a communion-table, you have run a very dreadful risk. You
have adventured to the King's presence without his warrant,
and without the wedding-garment of imputed righteousness,
or of inherent holiness ; and therefore have run the risk of
being bound, hand and foot, and cast into outer darkness:
you have been "eating and drinking judgment" to your own
souls, and are " guilty of the body and blood of the Lord."
And therefore,

3. For the Lord's sake, let me beseech you to repent of
your wickedness. Flee out of your lost and miserable condi-
tion, flee to " the horns of the altar." We declare to you,
that there is yet " hope in Israel concerning" you. " Let the
wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts;
and let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy
upon him, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon,"
Is. lv. 7.

Secondly, A second sort of persons are those who have this
day had a meeting with Zion's King in the galleries of ordi-
nances. I shall only offer a word of exhortation to you, and
of advice.

I. A word of exhortation. Have you met with the King
in the galleries? O then be exhorted to hold him, and bind
him in the galleries ; take him with you from the more open
and solemn galleries of public ordinances, to the more pri-
vate and secret galleries of prayer, meditation, conference,
and the like : follow the spouse's practice when she found
him ; " she held him, and would not let him go, until she had
brought him into her mother's house, and into the chamber
of her that conceived her." To engage you to hold him,
take these motives :

Mot. 1. Consider his invaluable worth and excellency:
The tongues of angels, let be of men, do but falter and stam-
mer when they speak of him. His worth is best known by
the character he gives of himself in his word. View him
absolutely in himself; he is " the only begotten of the Father,
the mighty God, the Prince of peace." View him compara-

120 THE KING HELD IN THE GALLERIES. [sER.

tively ; he is " fairer than the children of men, as the apple
tree among the trees of the wood ; the standard-bearer among
ten thousand." View him relatively ; he is thy Head, thy
Husband, thy Friend, thy Father, thy elder Brother, thy Sure-
ly, Shepherd, and Redeemer; and, in a word, he is all and in
all. And should not this make you to hold him?

Mot. 2. Consider, that thy happiness, believer, lies in the
enjoyment of him. What is it, do you think, that constitutes
the happiness of heaven through eternity ? It is Christ's pre-
sence, a Mediator, the King of Zion, manifesting his heart-
charming beauty to saints and angels through eternity. And
what is it that raises the poor soul to the very suburbs of
glory while in the wilderness? It is Christ manifesting him-
self in a sensible way to the soul : O this, this it is that fills
the soul with "joy unspeakable, and full of glory !" The ad-
vantages that attend his presence with the soul are great and
glorious. A cabinet of counsel attends his presence : he brings
light with him ; and no wonder, for he is " the Sun of right-
eousness:" "the veil and face of the covering" is rent when
Christ comes, and darkness is turned into light. His presence
has a mighty influence upon the believer's work in the wil-
derness ; the believer then " rides upon the high places of the
earth, and is fed with the heritage of Jacob ;" he runs swiftly
" like the chariots of Amminadib." His presence inspires
with courage and strength ; it makes " the feeble soul as Da-
vid, and David as the angel of God ; it gives power to the
faint, and increases strength to them that have no might." —
The soldier fights with courage when his captain is at hand.
The poor believer is not afraid to encounter the king of ter-
rors himself, when lie is holding Christ in the arms of faith:
Psal. xxiii. 4: "Yea, though I walk through the valley of
the shadow of de ath, I will fear no evil : for thou art with
me, thy rod and thy staff they comfort me." So, let this en-
courage you to hold him.

Mot. '3. Consider at what a dear rate this privilege was
purchased for thee. Before Christ could pay thy soul a visit
in the galleries, he behooved to swim a river and ocean of
blood, to tread the wine-press of his Father's wrath. Justice
had rolled insuperable mountains in his way, and these moun-
tains he must pass, and make as a plain, before he could
show himself in the galleries to thy soul. Does not this
oblige you to entertain him, and give him welcome when
come ?

Mot. 4. If you quit your holds of him, and suffer him to
depart, it may cost you very dear before you get another
meeting with him. It is true, " his kindness shall never de-
part from thee, the covenant of his peace shall never be re-

IV.] THE KING HELD IW THE GALLERIES. 121

moved." His gracious presence can never be lost ; but his
quickening, comforting, strengthening, and upholding presence
may be lost: and even this may be of very dreadful conse-
quence. As his presence is a heaven upon earth, so some-
times a hell upon earth follows his absence. Job, through
his hiding, is made to " go mourning without the sun ;" yea,
to such a pass is he brought, through the frowns of God's
countenance, that he is made to cry, " The arrows of the
Almighty are within me, the poison whereof drinketh up my
spirit : the terrors of God do set themselves in array against
me." And see to what a pass Heman is brought under de-
sertion, Psal. lxxxviii. 6, 7 : " Thou hast laid me in the lowest
pit, in darkness, in the deeps. Thy wrath lieth hard upon
me; and thou hast afflicted me with all thy waves." And
again, ver. 15: "While I suffer thy terrors 1 am distracted."
Let all these considerations, and many others I might name,
quicken your diligence in holding the King in the galleries.

2. I come to offer you a few advices, in order to your hold-
ing the King in the galleries, and maintaining his presence
with you.

1st, See that you keep his lodging clean, and beware of
every thing that may provoke him to withdraw. This was
the practice of the spouse after she had obtained a meeting
with Christ, Cant. iii. 5 : " I charge you, O ye daughters of
Jerusalem, by the roes, and by the hinds of the field, that ye
stir not up, nor awake my love, till he please." Particularly,
there are two or three evils that you would carefully guard
against. Beware of security. If you were paying a visit to
your relation, you would think him tired of your company,
if he would fall asleep beside you. Has Christ paid a visit to
thy soul, and wilt thou fall asleep in his very presence
and company ? This is very provoking to the Lord Jesus.
Cant. v. 3 : the spouse there entertains Christ's visit with
sloth ; " I have put off my coat, how shall I put it on '( I have
washed my feet, how shall I defile them?" But what comes
of it? Christ withdrew, ver. 6: "I opened to my beloved,
but my beloved had withdrawn himself, and was gone: I
sought him, but I could not find him ; I called him, but he
gave me no answer." Beware of turning proud of your at-
tainments. Pride of gifts, pride of grace, pride of attainments,
is what Christ cannot away with: he "gives grace to the
humble, but he resisteth the' proud, and beholdeth them afar
off." Beware of vvorldly-mindedness, or suffering your hearts
to go out immoderately after the things of time ; for this is
displeasing to the Lord, and intercepts the light of his coun-
tenance; Is. lvii. 17: "For the iniquity of his covetousness
was I wroth, and smote him : I hid me and was wroth. The

vol. i. 11

122 THE KING HELD IN THE GALLERIES. [SER.

friendship of this world is enmity with God." Beware of
unbelief, the root of all other evils, and particularly the root
and source of distance and estrangement between Christ and
the soul; for " an evil heart of unbelief causes to depart from
the living God." In a word, keep a strict watch and guard
against every thing that may defile the lodging of Christ in
thy soul. Under the law, God appointed porters to keep
watch at the doors of the temple, that nothing might enter
in to defile that house which was the dwelling-place of
his name. Thy soul and body is the temple in which
Christ dwells by his holy Spirit : and therefore guard against
every thing that may defile it, and provoke him to depart ;
for " if any man defile the temple of God, him shall God de-
stroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are,"
1 Cor. iii. 17.

2dly, If you would hold the King ih the galleries, it is ne-
cessary that grace be kept in lively exercise; for these are
the spikenard and spices that send forth a pleasant smell in
his nostrils. Let faith be kept in exercise; let this eye be
continually on him : he is exceedingly taken with the looks
of faith : Cant. iv. 9 : " Thou hast ravished my heart, my
sister, my spouse; thou hast ravished my heart with one of
thine eyes, with one chain of thy neck." Keep the fire of
love burning upon the altar of thy heart; for Christ loves to
dwell in a warm heart: 1 John iv. 16: "He that dwelleth in
love dwelleth in God, and God in him." Maintain a holy
and evangelical tenderness and melting of heart for sin; for
" the Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart, and
saveth such as be of a contrite spirit." And let hope be kept
up in opposition to a sinking despondency. Christ does not
love to see his friends drooping in his company: No, no; " he
takes pleasm-e in them that fear him, in those that hope in
his mercy."

3dly, If you would have Christ staying with you in the
galleries, you must put much work in his hand; for Christ
does not love to stay where he gets no employment. Hast
thou any strong corruption to be subdued? Tell him of it;
for this is one part of his work, to subdue the iniquities of
his people. Hast thou no sin to be pardoned, the guilt of
which has many times stared thee in the face 1 Tell him of
it; for " his name is Jesus, because he saves his people from
their sins." Hast thou no want to be supplied? Tell him of
it; for there is all fulness in him, fulness of merit and Spirit,
fulness of grace and truth : he has a liberal heart, and he de-
vises liberal things. Hast thou no doubts or difficulties to be
resolved : Tell him your doubts ; for he is " an Interpreter
among a thousand." Employ him not only for yourselves,

IV.] THE KING HELD IN THE GALLERIES. 123

but for others. Employ him for your mother church ; en-
treat him to come unto your " mother's house, and to the cham-
bers of her that conceived" you; that he would break these
heavy yokes that are wreathed about her neck at this day ;
that he may " build up the walls of his Jerusalem, make her a
peaceable habitation, and the praise of the whole earth ;" that
he may " take the foxes, the little foxes, that spoil the vines," I
mean, such teachers and preachers as are troubling the peace
of the church, and obstructing the progress of the gospel,
with their new-fangled opinions. But I must not insist.

Thirdly, A third sort of persons I proposed to speak to,
were these who are perhaps complaining, that they have
been attending in the galleries of ordinances, and particularly
at a communion-table ; yet they cannot say, dare not say, that
they were privileged to see the King's face. Alas ! may some
poor soul be saying, I thought to have got a meeting with
Zion's King, but hitherto 1 have missed my errand : " The
Comforter that should relieve my soul, is far from me ; and
I, whither shall I go V Answ. I shall only suggest a word of
encouragement and advice to such of the Lord's people as
may be in this case.

1. A word of encouragement.

Is/, Then, do not think thy case unprecedented. Poor soul,
what thinkest thou of David, Asaph, Heman, yea, of Christ
himself?

2dly, Although Zion's King may hide himself for a little, yet
he will not always hide, "lest the spirits should fail before
him :" Psal. xxx. 4, 5 : " Sing unto the Lord, O ye saints of
his, and give thanks at the remembrance of his holiness. For
his anger endureth but a moment : in his favour is life : weep-
ing may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning."
Is. liv. 7, 8: "For a small moment have 1 forsaken thee, but
with great mercies will I gather thee. In a little wrath I hid
my face from thee for a moment ; but with everlasting kindness
will I have mercy on thee, saith the Lord thy Redeemer.

3dly, Perhaps the King has been in the galleries with thy
soul, when yet thou wast not aware that it was he. He was
with Jacob at Bethel, and he "wist it not; " he was with the
disciples going to Emmaus, and yet they mistook him. Quest.
How shall I know whether the King has been in the galleries
with my soul 1 For answer,

(1.) Art thou mourning and sorrowing over thy apprehend-
ed loss? Does it grieve thee at the very heart to think, that
thou shouldst be at Jerusalem, and not see the King's face; at
the King's table, and not have the King's company 1 If this
be real matter of exercise to thee, thou dost not want his gra-
cious presence, though thou art not aware ; for " he is ever

124 THE KING HELD IN THE GALLERIES. [SER.

nigh unto them that are of a broken heart." Christ is at
Mary's hand when she is drowned in tears for the want of his
company, and saying, "They have taken away my Lord, and
I know not where they have laid him."

(2.) Hast thou got a farther discovery of thine own empti-
ness, poverty, and nakedness? and is thy soul abased and laid
in the dust on this account? This says, Christ has been pre-
sent; for he comes in a work of humiliation, as well as in a
work of consolation. Perhaps the devil is condemning, the
law is condemning, conscience is condemning thee, and thou
art condemning thyself as fast as any : be not discouraged,
Christ is not far away, Psal. cix. 31 : " He stands at the right
hand of the poor, to save him from those that condemn his
soul."

(3.) Art thou justifying the Lord, and laying the blame of
thy punishment upon thyself, as David, Psal. xxii. 1,2, 3:
"My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? Why art
thou so far from helping me, and from the words of my roar-
ing? O my God, I cry in the day-time, but thou hearest me
not? and in the night-season, and am not silent. But thou art
holy, O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel."

(4.) Is thy hunger and thirst after Christ increased by thy
apprehended want of his gracious presence ? This says that
he has been really present, for his blessing is upon thee:
Matth. v. 6: "Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst
after righteousness." And know for thy comfort, that " he
satisfieth the longing soul, and nlleth the hungry soul with
good things."

(5.) Art thou resolved to wait on him and keep his way,
although he hide his face and withdraw his sensible presence?
Christ has not been altogether a stranger ; no, " he is good
unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him; and
is really nigh unto all that call upon him in truth."

2. A word of advice, and only in so many words.

1st, Give not way to despondency ; argue against it, as
David, Psal. xlii. 5 : " Why art thou cast down, O my soul ?
and why are thou disquieted in me ? Hope thou in God ; for I
shall yet praise him for the help of his countenance."

2dly, See that you justify God, and beware of charging him
foolishly. See what was David's practice, (and herein he was
a type of Christ himself,) Psal. xxii. He is under hidings,
ver. 1 : " My God, why hast thou forsaken me," &c. What
follows? ver. 3: " But thou art holy, O thou that inhabitest
the praises of Israel."

Sdly, Trust in a hiding God, as Job did : " Though he slay
me, yet will I trust in him," Job xiii. 15. This the Lord calls
his people to under darkness, Is. 1. 10 ; " Who is among you

V.] THE GROANS OF BELIEVERS UNDER THEIR BURDENS. 125

that feareth the Lord, that obeyeth the voice of his servant,
that vvalketh in darkness, and hath no light? let him trust in
the name of the Lord, and stay upon his God."

Alhly, and lastly, Wait on him in the galleries of ordinances ;
hang about the posts of his door. And when you do not find
him in public, seek him in private, and in the retired galleries
of secret prayer, meditation, and conference : and go a little
farther, like the spouse, above and beyond all duties and ordi-
nances, to himself: " He is good unto them that wait for him,
to the soul that seeketh him. — They that wait upon the Lord
shall renew their strength: they shall mount up with wings
as eagles, they shall run and not be weary, and they shall
walk and not faint." The spouse did so, and at length she
found him whom her soul loved : Gant. iii. 4 : "It was but a
little that I passed from them, but I found him whom my soul
loveth : I held him, and would not let him go." The Lord
bless his word.

SERMON V.

THE GROANS OF BELIEVERS UNDER THEIR BURDENS.*

Lord, all my desire is before thee; and my groaning is not hid from thee. —
Psal. xxxyni. 9.

The Spirit helpeth our infirmities; and maketh intercession for us with
groanings which cannot be uttered. — Rom. viii. 26.

We that are in this tabernacle do groan, being burdened. — 2 Cob. v. 4.

In the first verse of this chapter, the apostle gives a rea-
son, why he, and others of the saints in his day, endured per-
secution for the cause of Christ, with such an unshaken con-
stancy, and holy magnanimity : he tells us, that they had the
prospect of better things, the solid and well-grounded hope of
a happy immortality to follow upon the dissolution of this
clay tabernacle of the body. Ye need not wonder, would he
say, though we cheerfully and willingly undergo the sharpest
trials for religion : " for we know, that if our earthly house

* Preached in the Tolbooth-church of Edinburgh, on a fast-day preceding
the celebration of the Lord's supper, October, 27, 1720.

11*

126 THE GROANS OF BELIEVERS UNDER THEIR BURDENS. [sER.

of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God,
a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens." When
the poor believer can say with David, " I shall dwell in the
house of the Lord for ever," he will be ready to join issue
with the same holy man, " Though I walk through the val-
ley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil." Yea, so far
is the apostle from being damped or discouraged at the
thoughts of death, that he rather invites it to do its office, by
striking down this clay tabernacle, that his soul may be at li-
berty to ascend to these mansions of glory, that his blessed
Friend and Elder Brother has prepared for him above: ver.
2: "In this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed upon
with our house which is from heaven." He knew very well,
that when he should be stript of his mortal body, he should
not be found naked, as it is ver. 3; but clothed with a robe of
glory and immortality. And in the verse read, he gives a
reason why he was so desirous to change his quarters; and
it is drawn from the uneasiness and inconvenience of his pre-
sent lodging, while cooped up in this clay tabernacle: We that
are in this tabernacle, says he, do groan, being burdened.

In which words we may briefly notice, 1. The believer's
present lodging or habitation ; he is in a tabernacle. 2. His
melancholy disposition ; he is groaning. 3. The cause or
reasons of his groans ; being burdened.

1. I say, we have an account of the believer's present
lodging or habitation; he is in this tabernacle. By the taber-
nacle, here, we are to understand the body ; so called, be-
cause it is a weak, moveable sort of habitation ; (as we may
hear more fully afterwards.) The indweller of this lodging
is the noble soul, which is said to be in this tabernacle, while
it is in an imbodied state. So that the meaning is, We that
are in this tabernacle; that is, we that are living in the body.

2. We have the melancholy disposition of the poor be-
liever while in this lodging ; he groans. The word in the
original, ?£va£<y, rendered, to groan, we find it taken in a three-
fold sense in scripture. 1st, It is an expression of grief: Heb.
xiii. 17: "Obey them that have the rule over you, that they
may give their account of you, not with grief;" or, as it may
be rendered, Not zvith groans. It is the same word that is
here used. There is nothing more ordinary, when a person
is weighed and pressed in spirit, than to give vent to the
heart in sobs and groans: and thus stands the case with the
Lord's people many times, while in the tabernacle of the
body. 2dly, It is sometimes an expression of displeasure :
James v. 9 : " Grudge not one against another." It is the
same word that is here rendered to groan. And so it imports,
that the believer is dissatisfied with, or disaffected to, his pre-

V.] THE GROANS OF BELIEVERS UNDER THEIR BURDENS. 127

sent quarters; he does not like it, in comparison of the : bet-
ter habitation that he has in view. My, It is sometimes
taken as an expression of ardent, passionate, and earnest de-
sire. Thus, the word is taken in the second verse of this
chapter: « In this we groan, earnes.ly desiring to be clothed
upon with our house which is from heaven. ' I shall not ex-
clude any of these senses from the apostle's scope in these

W03.dIn the words we have the cause or reason of the be-
liever's groans ; being burdened. Many a weary weight and
heavy load has the believer hanging about him, while pass-
ing through this » valley of Baca," which make him to go
mfny tinfes with a bowed-down back What these we.ghts
and burdens are, you may hear more fully afterwards.
The observation I offer from the words is this :
Doct. "That believers are many times burdened, even to
groaning, while in the clay tabernacle of the body. We that
are in this tabernacle do groan, being burdened.

The method I shall observe, in handling this doctrine, is,
to eive you some account, . ". . , i 1

I. Of the believer's present lodging; he is in a tabernacle.

II. Of the believer's burdens in this tabernacle.

III. Of his groans under these burdens.

IV. Conclude with some improvement of the whole.

I The first thing is, to give you some account of the believer's
present lodging while in the body. And there are these two or
three thin|s that I remark about it, which I find in the text

and context. . r ,,.

1 Then, I find it is called a house in the first verse ot this
chapter. And it is fitly so called, because of its rare and cu-
rious structure and workmanship; Psal. cxxx.x 14, 15. 1
will praise thee, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
marvellous are thy works, and that my soul knoweth right
well. My substance was not hid from thee, when 1 was made
in secret; and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the
earth " The body of man is a wonderful piece of architec-
ture, and the skill and wisdom of the great Creator are won-
derfully discovered in it: it is set up, as it were, by line and
rule, in such exact order, that the most cunous p.les and
edifices in the world are but a chaos or mass of confus.on,
when compared with it. Take a clod of dust, and compare
it with the flesh of man, unless we were instructed of it be-
forehand, we would not imagine it to be one and the same
matter, considering the beauty and excellency of the one
above the other ; Which evidently proclaims the being, power,

128 THE GROANS OF BELIEVERS UNDER THEIR BURDENS. [SER.

and wisdom of the great Creator, who made us, and not we
ourselves, and who can sublimate matter above its first origi-
nal.

2. I remark concerning the believer's present lodging, that
however curious its structure be, yet it is but a house of earth;
therefore called in the first verse, an earthly house. And it is
so, especially in a threefold respect.

1st, In respect of its original ; it is made of earth. It is
true, all the elements meet in the body of man, fire, earth,
water, and air; but earth is the predominant. And there-
fore, from thence he is said to have his rise ; Job iv. 19 : " He
dwells in houses of clay, and his foundation is in the dust."
Whatever be the beauty, strength, structure, or high pedigree
of men ; yet as to their bodies, they claim no higher extract
than the dust of the earth.

2dly, It is a house of clay, in respect of the means that
support it; it stands upon pillars of dust; for the corn, wine,
and oil, wherewith the body of man is maintained, all spring
out of the earth. Hos. ii. 21, 22 : God is said to hear the hea-
vens, the heavens to hear the earth, the earth to hear the corn,
wine, and oil, and these to hear Jezreel. And if these props
be withdrawn, how soon will the clay tabernacle fall to the
ground, and return to its original ?

3dly, It is a house of earth in respect of its end ; it returns
thither at its dissolution. Accordingly, see what God said to
Adam, Gen. iii. 19 : " Dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou
return." Perhaps there may be some allusion to these
three in that passionate exclamation of the prophet Jeremiah
to the rebellious Jews, Jer. xxii. 29 : " O earth, earth, earth,
hear the word of the Lord." They were earth in their ori-
ginal, they were earth as to their support, and they would re-
turn to earth in the end.

3. I remark concerning the believer's present lodging, that
it is at best but a tabernacle. So it is called, ver. 1 : "If our
earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved ;" and again
here, We that are in this tabernacle do groan, being burdened."
Now, a tabernacle or a tent is a moveable or portable kind
of habitation, and is peculiar especially to two sorts of men.
1. To travellers or wayfaring men. 2. To soldiers or war-
faring men.

1st, I say, tabernacles or tents are peculiar to strangers or
wayfaring men. Strangers, especially in the eastern coun-
tries, used to carry these portable houses about with them,
because of the inconveniences to which they were exposed.
Hence, (Heb. xi. 9,) it is said of Abraham, that "by .faith he
sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country,
dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with

V.] THE GROANS OF BELIEVERS UNDER THEIR BURDENS. 129

him of the same promise." They dwelt in tabernacles, be-
cause they had no present inheritance ; they were only stran-
gers and passengers in the country. To this the apostle pro-
bably alludes here. And so this intimates to us, that the
saints of God, while in the body, are pilgrims and strangers,
not as yet arrived at their own country : " I am a stranger
in the earth," says the psalmist, Psal. cxix. 19; and it is said
of the scripture-worthies, (Heb. xi. J 3,) that they "confessed
that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth ; they de-
sired a better country, that is, a heavenly." O believer,
thou art not a resident, but only a passenger through this
valley of Baca ; and therefore study a disposition of soul suit-
able to thy present condition.

2dly, Tabernacles were used by strangers and wayfaring
men, so by soldiers and warfaring men, who are obliged fre-
quently to convey their camps from one place to another.
Believers, while they are in the tabernacle of the body, must
act the part of soldiers, fight their way to the promised land,
through the very armies of hell. " We wrestle not," says
the apostle, " against flesh and blood ; but against principali-
ties, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of
this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places," Eph.
vi. 12. And therefore, as the apostle exhorts, it concerns us
to " put on the whole armour of God, the shield of faith, the
helmet of salvation, the breastplate of righteousness, the gir-
dle of truth ;" and to be frequently accustoming ourselves to
a holy dexterity in wielding and managing "the sword of the
Spirit, which is the word of God," that so we maybe able to
make a courageous stand in the day nf hattle, and at last
come off' the field in a victorious manner, when Christ the
Captain of our salvation shall sound the retreat at death.
Thus, the believer's lodging in a tabernacle, shows him to be
both a traveller and a soldier.

4. Another thing that I remark concerning the believer's
lodging, is, that it is but a tottering and crazy house, that is
shortly to be taken down ; for, says the apostle, ver. 1 :<& The
earthly house of this tabernacle is " to be " dissolved. — What
man is he," says the psalmist, " that liveth, and shall not see
death 1 shall he deliver his soul from the hand of the grave 1"
Psal. lxxxix. 48. This king of terrors has erected his tro-
phies of victory over all that ever sprung of Adam. The
greatest Caesars and Alexanders, who " made the world to
tremble " with their swords, were all forced at last to yield
themselves captives to this grim messenger of the Lord of
hosts. "There is no discharge of this warfare;" the taber-
nacle of the body must dissolve. However, it may be ground
of encouragement to the believer, that death is not a destruc-

130 THE GROANS OF BELIEVERS UNDER THEIR BURDENS. [sER.

tion or annihilation : no, as the apostle tells, it is only a dis-
solving, or taking down of the tent or tabernacle ; for God
designs to set up this tabernacle again at the resurrection,
more glorious than ever. It was the faith of this that com-
forted and encouraged Job under his affliction, Job xix. 25,
26 : "I know that my Redeemer liveth, and that he shall
stand at the latter day upon the earth. And though after
my skin worms destroy this body, and though my reins be
consumed within me," says he, " yet in my flesh shall I see
God." So much for the first thing in the method.

II. The second thing proposed was, to speak a little of the
believer's burdens while in this tabernacle. This earthly house
lies under many servitudes, and the believer, as one says,
pays a dear mail or rent for his quarters. For,

1. The clay tabernacle itself is many times a very heavy
burden to him. The crazy cottage of the body is liable to
innumerable pains and distempers, which makes it lie like a
dead weight upon the soul, by which its vivacity and activity
are exceedingly marred. When the poor soul would mount
up, as upon eagles' wings, the body will not bear part
with it. So that the believer feels the truth of Christ's apo-
logy verified in his sad experience, " The spirit is willing,
but the flesh is weak."

2. Not only is he burdened with a burden of clay, but also
with a burden of sin; I mean indwelling corruption, the se-
cret atheism, enmity, unbelief, ignorance, pride, hypocrisy,
and other abominations of his heart. O but this is a heavy
burden, which many times is like to dispirit the poor be-
liever, and press him through the very ground. David
(though a man according to God's own heart,) yet cries out
under this burden, " Who can understand his errors? cleanse
thou me from secret faults," Psal. xix. 12. And the apostle
Paul never complained so much of any burden as of this,
Rom. vii. 24 : " O wretched man that I am, who shall deli-
ver me from the body of this death !" To be rid of this
burden, the poor believer many times would be content that
this clay tabernacle were broken .into shivers.

3. He is burdened many times with a sense of much ac-
tual guilt, which he has contracted through the untenderness
of his way and walk. Conscience, that deputy of the Lord
of hosts (being supported by the authority of the law,) fre-
quently brings in a heavy indictment against the poor soul,
and tells it, Thus and thus thou hast sinned, and trampled
upon the authority of God the great Lawgiver. In this case
the believer cannot but take with the charge, and own, with
David, " Mine iniquities are gone over mine head : as a heavy
burden they are too heavy for me," Psal. xxxviii. 4, and

V.] THE GROANS OF BELIEVERS UNDER THEIR BURDENS. 131

Psal. xl. 12: "Innumerable evils have compassed me about;
mine iniquities have taken hold upon me, so that I am not
able to look up: they are more than the hairs of mine head,
therefore my heart-faileth me."

4. He is sometimes sadly burdened with the temptations
of Satan. The devil, that cunning " archer, shoots at him,
and sore wounds and grieves him." Sometimes whole
showers of fiery darts, dipt in hell, are made to fly about his
ears. God, for holy and wise ends, suffers the believer to
be winnowed, sifted, and buffeted by this enemy. And O
how much is the believer burdened in this case ! Sometimes
he is ready to conclude with David, One day or other I shall
fall by this roaring lion, that goes about seeking to devour
me ; sometimes he is brought to his wit's end, saying, with
Jehoshaphat in great extremity, when surrounded by enemies,
" I know not what to do, but mine eyes are towards thee."
But let not the believer think strangely of this, seeing Christ
himself was not exempted from the molestations of this ene-
my.

5. Sometimes the believer is burdened with the burden of
ill company. The society of the wicked, which perhaps is
unavoidable, is a great incumbrance to him, and tends migh-
tily to mar and hinder him in his work and warfare. Hence
David utters that mournful and melancholy complaint, Psal.
cxx. 5, 6 : " Wo is me, that I sojourn in Mesech, that I dwell
in the tents of Kcdar," &c. The believer is of Jacob's dis-
position, with reference to the wicked, Gen. xlix. 6 : " O my
soul, come not thou unto their secret ; unto their assembly,
mine honour, be not thou united." And truly, sirs, if the com-
pany and society of the wicked be not your burden, it is a
sign you are of their society.

6. Sometimes the believer is sadly burdened, not only with
his own sins, but with the abounding sins and abominations
of the day and place in which he lives. " I beheld the trans-
gressors," says David, " and was grieved. Rivers of waters run
down mine eyes : because they keep not thy law," Psal. cxix.
136, 158. O what a heart-breaking thing is it to the poor
soul, to see sinners dashing themselves to pieces upon the thick
bosses of God's buckler, and, as it were, upon the rock of salva-
tion, running headlong to their own everlasting ruin, without
ever reflecting upon their ways ! His very bowels yearn with
pity towards them, who will not pity themselves. Upon this
account believers are frequently designated the " mourners in
Zion : they sigh and cry for all the abominations that be done
in the midst of Jerusalem," Ezek. ix. 4.

7. The believer is many times, while in this tabernacle,
burdened with the public concerns of Christ. He is a person

132 THE GROANS OF BELIEVERS UNDER THEIR BURDENS. [sER.

of a very grateful and public spirit. Christ took a lift of him
while he was in a low state; and therefore he cannot but be
concerned for the concerns of his kingdom and glory, espe-
cially when he sees them suffering in the world. When he
beholds the boar out of the wood, or the wild beast of the
forest, open and avowed enemies, wasting and devouring the
church of God ; when he sees the foxes spoiling the tender
vines, and the watchmen wounding, smiting, or taking away
the veil of the spouse of Christ, Song v. 7 ; when he sees the
privileges of the church of Christ invaded, her doctrine and
worship corrupted, her ordinary meals retrenched by the
stewards of the house : these things, I say, are sinking and
oppressing to his spirit; he then hangs his harp upon the wil-
lows, when he remembers Zion. In this case he is "sorrow-
ful for the solemn assembly, and the reproach of it is his bur-
den," Zeph. iii. 18.

8. The poor believer has many times the burden of great
crosses and afflictions lying upon him, and these both of a bo-
dily and spiritual nature, and deep many times calleth unto
deep; the deep of external trouble calls to the deep of inward
distress; and these, like two seas meeting together, break
upon him with such violence, that the waters are like to come
in£ unto his very soul. Sometimes, I say, he has a burden of
outward troubles upon him; perhaps a burden of sickness and
pain upon his body, by which the crazy tabernacle of clay is
sorely shattered : " There is no soundness in my flesh," says
David, " because of my sin," Psal. xxxviii. 3. Sometimes he
is burdened with poverty, and want of the external necessaries
of life, which needs be no strange thing, considering that the
Son of God, the heir of all things, became poor; and so poor,
that, as he himself declares, "The foxes have holes, and the
birds of the air have nests ; but the Son of man hath not where
to lay his head." Sometimes he is burdened with infamy and
reproach, malice and envy striking at his repu'ation, and
wounding his name. " False witnesses," says David, " rose tip
against me ; they laid to my charge things that I knew not,"
Psal. xxxv. 11. Sometimes he is burdened in his relations, as
by their miscarriages. It was a grief of heart to Rebekah,
when Esau married the daughter of Beeri the Hittite, Gen.
xxvi. 34, 35. And no doubt David had many a sad heart for
the miscarriages of his children, particularly of Amnon and
Absalom. Sometimes he is burdened with the death of near
relations. It is breaking to him when the Lord takes away
the desire of his eyes with a stroke. I might here tell you
also of many trials and distresses of a more spiritual nature,
that the believer is exercised with, besides those already named.
Sometimes he has the burden of much weighty work lying

V.] THE GROANS OF BELIEVERS UNDER THEIR BURDENS. 133

on his hand, and his heart is like to faint at the prospect
of it, through the sense of his own utter inability to manage
it, either to God's glory, or his own comfort, or the edification
of others ; such as, the work of his station, relation, and ge-
neration, and the great work of his salvation. This lies heavy
upon him, till the Lord say to him, as he said to Paul in another
case, " My grace is sufficient for thee." Sometimes the be-
liever in this tabernacle is under the burden of much dark-
ness. Sometimes he is in darkness as to his state ; he " walks
in darkness, and has no light," insomuch that he is ready to
raze the foundation, and to cry, " I am cast out of thy sight:
the Lord hath forsaken me, and my Lord hath forgotten me,"
Is. xlix. 14. Sometimes he is in darkness as to his duty, whe-
ther he should do or forbear ; many a perplexing thought rolls
in his breast, till the Lord, by his word and Spirit, say to him,
"This is the way, walk ye in it," Is. xxx. 21. Sometimes he
is burdened with distance from his God, who seems to have
withdrawn from him behind the mountains; and in this case
he cries, with the church, "For these things I weep, mine
eye, mine eye, runneth down with water, because the Com-
forter that should relieve my soul, is far from me," Lam. i. 16.
And sometimes it is a burden to him to think, that he is at such
a distance from his own country and inheritance; and in this
case he longs to be over Jordan, at the promised land, saying,
"1 desire to be dissolved, and to be with Christ; which is best
of all," Phil. i. 23. Sometimes, again, he is under the burden
of fear, particularly the fear of death. Heb. ii. 15, we read
of some who are held in bondage all their life through fear of
death: and yet, glory to God, such have had a safe landing
at last.

Thus I have told you of some of these things with which
the believer is burdened, while in the tabernacle of this body.

III. The third thing in the method was, to speak of the be-
liever's groaning under his burden: for (says the apostle,) We
that are in this tabernacle do groan, being burdened. Upon this
head I shall only suggest two or three considerations.

1. Consider, that the working of the believer's heart, under
the pressures of these burdens, vents itself variously. Some-
times he is said to be in heaviness: 1 Pet. i. 6: "If need be,
ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations." Some-
times he is said to sigh under his burdens, and to sigh to the
breaking of his loins : he is said to fetch his sighs from the
bottom of his heart: "My sighing cometh before I eat," says
Job. Sometimes his burdens make him to cry. Sometimes
he cries to his God, Psal. cxxx. 1 : " Out of the depths have
I cried unto thee, O Lord." Sometimes he cries to by-standers
and on-lookers, as Job did to his friends, " Have pity upon me,

vol. i. 12

134 THE GROANS OF BELIEVERS UNDER THEIR BURDENS. [sER.

O ye my friends; for the hand of God hath touched me," Job
xix. 21; or, with the church, Lam. i. 12: " Is it nothing to
you, all ye that pass by? hehold and see, if there be any
sorrow like unto my sorrow, wherewith the Lord hath afflicted
me, in the day of his fierce anger." Sometimes he is said to
roar under his burden: "My roarings," says Job, "are poured
out like the water." " I have roared all the day long," says
David, " by reason of the disquietncss of my heart." Some-
times he is at the very point of fainting under his burden:
"I had fainted, unless I had believed to see (he goodness of the
Lord in the land of the living." Sometimes his spirits are
quite overset and overwhelmed: Psal. Ixi. 2: "From the end
of the earth will I cry unto thee, when my heart is over-
whelmed : lead me to the rock that is higher than I." Some-
times again he is as it were distracted, distracted and put out
of his wits, through the weight of his burdens, especially when
under the weight of divine terrors. Thus it was with holy
Heman, Psal. Ixxxviii. 15: "While I suffer thy terrors, I am
distracted." Yea, sometimes the matter is carried so far, that
it goes to the drinking up of the very spirits, and a drying and
withering of the hones; as you see in the case of Job; "The
arrows of the Almighty are within me, the poison whereof
drinketh up my spirit." O the heavy tossings of the believer's
heart under his burdens! the apostle here expresses it by a
groaning: We that are in this tabernacle do groan, being bur-
dened.

2. For clearing this, you would know, that there are three
sorts of groans that we read of in scripture: Is/, Groans of
nature. 2dly, Groans of reason. 3dly, Groans of grace.

Is/, I say, we read of groans of nature, Rom. viii. 22: " We
know," says the apostle, " that the whole creation groaneth,
and travaileth in pain together until now." Man, by his sin,
brought a curse upon the good creatures of God ; "Cursed is
the ground for thy sake," Gen. iii. 17. And the very earth
upon which we tread groans, like a woman in travail, under
the weight of that curse and vanity, that it is subjected to
through the sin of man ; and it longs, as it were, to be de-
livered from the bondage of corruption, and to share the glo-
rious liberty of the sons of God, at the day of their manifesta-
tion.

2dly, We read of groans of reason, or of the reasonable
creatures under their affliction. Thus, we are told, that the
children of Israel groaned under the weight of their affliction
in Egypt, by reason of the heavy tasks that were imposed
upon them : Exod. vi. 5 : " I have heard," says the Lord, " the
groaning of the children of Israel, whom the Egyptians keep
in bondage."

V.] THE GROANS OF BELIEVERS UNDER THEIR BURDENS. 135

3dly, We read of groans of grace, or of spiritual groans,
Rom. viii. 26 : The Spirit helpeth our infirmities : and maketh
intercession for its with groamngs which cannot be uttered. And
of this kind, we conceive, are these groans which the apostle
speaks of in our text; they are not natural, neither are they
merely rational groans, though even these are not to be ex-
cluded, but thev are gracious and supernatural, being the
fruit of some saving work of the Spirit of God upon the soul.
And, therefore,

3. A third remark I offer is this, that these groans of the
gracious soul here spoken of, seem to imply, as was hinted at
in the explication of the words, (1.) A great deal of grief and
sorrow of spirit on account of sin, and the sad and melan-
choly effects of it on the believer, while in this imbodied state.
(2.) 'It implies a displeasure, or dissatisfaction in the believer,
with his present burdened state; he cannot find rest for the
sole of his foot here; he finds that this is not his resting place.
And, (3.) It implies a breathing and panting of soul after a
better state, even the immediate enjoyment of God- in glory,
(ver. 1,) he groans with an "earnest desire to be clothed
upon with his house which is from heaven."

IV. But I proceed to the fourth thing in the method, which
was the application of the doctrine. And the first use shall
be of information.

1. Hence we may see the vast difference between heaven
and earth. O what vast odds is there betwixt the present
and future state of the believer ! between his present earthly
lodging, and his heavenly mansion! This world is but at best
a "weary land:" but there is no wearying in heaven: no;
"They shall serve him day and night in his holy temple."
This world is a land of darkness, where thou goest many a
time " mourning without the sun;" but when once thou comest
to thine own country, " the Lord shall be thine everlasting
light, and thy God thy glory." This world is a land of dis-
tance; but in heaven thou shalt be at home: when "absent
from the body," thou shalt be " present with the Lord." ^This
world is a " den of lions," and a " mountain of leopards ;" but
there is no lion or leopard there: " they shall not hurt nor de-
stroy in all God's holy mountain " above. This world is a land
of thorns : many pricking briers of affliction grow here ; but
no pricking brier or grieving thorn is to be found in all that
country above. This world is a polluted land, it is defiled
with sin ; but " there can in no wise enter into " the land of
glory "any thing that defileth, or worloth abomination, or
maketh a lie." In a word, there is nothing but matter of
groaning, for the most part, here ; but all ground of groaning
ceases for ever there.

136 THE GROANS OF BELIEVERS UNDER THEIR BURDENS. [SER.

2. See hence, a consideration that may contribute to stay
or allay our griefs, sobs, and groans, for the death of godly
relatives; for while in this tabernacle they "groan, being bur-
dened:" but now their groans are turned into songs, and their
mourning into hallelujahs; for "the ransomed of the Lord,"
when they " return," or " come to Zion," at death or the re-
surrection, it is " with songs, and everlasting joy upon their
heads: they obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing
flee away," Is. xxxv. 10. And therefore, let us " not sorrow
as them that have no hope." If our godly friends that are
departed, could entertain converse with us, they would be
ready to say to us, as Christ said to the daughters of Jerusalem,
O " weep not for us, but weep for yourselves ;" for we would
not exchange conditions with you for ten thousand worlds :
ye are yet groaning in your clay tabernacle, oppressed with
your many burdens; but as for us, the day of our complete
redemption is come, our heads are lifted up above all our
burdens, under which, once in a day, we groaned while we
were with you.

3. See hence, that they are not always the happiest who
have the merriest life of it in the world. Indeed, if we look
only to things present, the wicked would seem to have the
best of it, for, instead of groaning, " they take the timbrel
and harp, and rejoice at the sound of the organ; they spend
their days in wealth " and ease, Job xxi. 12, 13. But, O, sirs,
remember, that it is the evening that crowns the day. " The
triumphing of the wicked is short, and the joy of the hypo-
crite but for a moment:" whereas the groanings of the right-
eous are but short, and their jubilee and triumph shall be
everlasting. "Mark the perfect man," says David, " and be-
hold the upright : for the end of that man is peace. But the
transgressors shall be destroyed together, the end of the wicked
shall be cut off," Psal. xxxvii. 37. I will read you a word that
will show the vast difference betwixt the godly and the wicked,
and discover the strange alteration of the scene betwixt them
in the life to come: Is. Ixv. 13, 14: "Thus saith the Lord God,
Behold, my servants shall eat, but ye shall be hungry: behold,
my servants shall drink, but ye shall be thirsty: behold, my
servants shall rejoice, but ye shall be ashamed : behold, my
servants shall sing for joy of heart, but ye shall cry for sor-
row of heart, and shall howl for vexation of spirit."

4. See hence, that death needs not to be a terror to the
believer. Why? Because, by taking down this tabernacle it
takes off all his burdens, and puts a final period to all his
groans. Death, to a believer, is like the fiery chariot to Eli-
jah ; it makes him drop the mantle of his body with all its
filthiness : hut it transports his soul, his better part, into the

V.] THE GROANS OF BELIEVERS UNDER THEIR BURDENS. 137

mansions of glory, " the house not made with hands, eternal
in the heavens."

The second use of the doctrine may be of reproof to two
sorts of persons.

1. It reproves those who are at home while in this taber-
nacle. Their great concern is about this clay tabernacle,
how to gratify it, how to beautify and adorn it ; their lan-
guage is, "Who will show us any good? — What shall we
eat ? what shall we drink ? wherewithal shall we be clothed?"
But they have no thought or concern about the immortal
soul which inhabits the tabernacle, which must be happy or
miserable for ever. O, sirs! remember, that whatever care
you take about this clay tabernacle, it will drop down to dust
ere long, and the noisome grave will be its habitation, where
worms and corruption will prey upon the fairest face, and
purest complexion. Where will be your beauty, strength,
or fine attire, when the curtains of the grave are drawn about
you?

2. This doctrine serves to reprove those who add to the
burdens and groans of the Lord's people, as if they were not
burdened enough already. Remember that it is a dreadful
thing to vex or occasion the grief of those whom the Lord
has wounded : they that do so, counteract the commission of
Christ from the Father, who was "sent to comfort them that
mourn in Zion, to give them the oil of joy for mourning, the
garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness." But, on the
contrary, they study to give a heavy spirit, and to strip and
rob them of their garments of praise. Remember that Christ
is very tender of his burdened saints; and if any offer to lay
a load above their burden, by grieving or offending them, the
Lord Jesus will not pass it without a severe resentment; and
"it were better for such that a millstone were hanged about
their neck, and that they were drowned in the depth of the
sea."

A third use shall be of lamentation and humiliation. Let
us lament, that the Lord's saints and people should have so
much matter of groaning at this day and time wherein we live.
And here I will tell you of several things that are a burden
to the spirits of the Lord's people, and help on their groaning,
and make them sad hearts.

1. The abounding profanity and immorality of all sorts that
are to be found among us. O how rampant is atheism and
profanity; and impiety, like an impetuous torrent, carrying
all before it ! It is become fashionable among some to be
impious and profane. Religion, which is the ornament of a
nation, is faced down by bold and petulant wits: It is rec-
koned, by some, a genteel accomplishment to break a jest

12*

138 THE GROANS OF BELIEVERS UNDER THEIR BURDENS. [SER.

upon the Bible, and to play upon things religious and sacred.
O what cursing and swearing! O what lying and cheating!
what abominable drunkenness, murders, and uncleanness !
with what, perjury and blasphemy is the land defiled ! We
may apply that word, Hos. iv. 3: " For these things the land
mourns." The land groans at this day under these and the
like abominations. And, therefore, no wonder that the hearts
of those that regard the glory of God do groan under them
also, and cry with the prophet, Jer. ix. 1, 2: "Oh, that my
head were waters, and mine eyes a fountain of tears, that I
might weep day and night for the slain of the daughter of
my people. Oh, that 1 had in the wilderness a lodging-place
of wayfaring men, that I might leave my people, and go from
them : for they be all adulterers, an assembly of treacherous
men."

2. The universal barrenness that is to be found among us
at this day, is matter of groaning to the Lord's people. —
God has been at great pains with us both by ordinances and
providences : he has planted us in a fruitful soil ; he has given
us a standing under the means of grace; he has given us
"line upon line, precept upon precept:" and yet, alas! may
not the Lord say of us, as he said of his vineyard, Is. v. 2:
"I looked that it should bring forth grapes, and it brought
forth wild grapes." And, as for the fruit of providences,
alas! where is it? Mercies are lost on us; for when God
feeds us to the full, when he gives peace and plenty, then,
Jeshurun like, we uaxfat, and kick against him, Deut. xxxii.
15. And as mercies, so rods and afflictions are lost upon us
likewise: God has "stricken us, but we have not grieved;"
he has " consumed us, but we have refused to receive correc-
tion," Jer. v. 3.

3. The lamentable divisions that are in our Reuben, occa-
sion great thoughts of heart, and heaviness to the Lord's peo-
ple at this day. Court and country, church and state, are
divided: ministers divided from their people, and people from
their ministers; and both ministers and people are divided
among themselves; and every party and faction turning over
the blame upon the other: than which there cannot be a
greater evidence of God's anger, or of approaching ruin and
desolation ; for " a city or kingdom divided against itself can-
not stand," Matth. xii*. 25.

4. The innumerable defections and backslidings of our day
are a great burden to the Lord's people, and make their
hearts to groan within them. The charge which the Lord
advances against the church of Ephesus,,may too justly be
laid to our door, that we we. fallen from ourfrst lore. There
is but little love to God or his people, little zeal for his way

V.] THE GROANS OF BELIEVERS UNDER THEIR BURDENS. 139

and work, to be found among us; the power of godliness, and
life of religion, are dwindled away into an empty form with the
most part.

I might here take occasion to tell you of many public de-
fections and backslidings that we stand guilty of before the
Lord; particularly, of the breach of our solemn national en-
gagements. It was once the glory of our land to be " married
unto the Lord," by solemn covenant, in a national capacity;
but, to our eternal infamy and reproach, it has been both
broken and burnt by public authority in this very city. Per-
haps, indeed, some may ridicule me for making mention of
the breach of our solemn engagements; but I must blow the
trumpet, as God's herald, " whether ye will hear or forbear."
And you who ridicule these things now, will perhaps laugh
at leisure, if God shall send a bloody sword, or raging pes-
tilence, to " avenge the quarrel of his covenant."

But some may say, Ye talk of breach of solemn national
engagements; but wherein does the truth of such a charge
appear ?

For answer, I shall instance in a few particulars. It is fit
that we not only know wherein our fathers have broken this
covenant; but wherein ourselves, this present generation,
stands guilty.

1. Then, in our national covenant we swear, that we will
endeavour to be humbled for our own sins, and for the sins of
the kingdom. But, alas! public days of fasting and humilia-
tion for the sins of the land are but rare, and thinly sown at
this day. Where are the mourners of our Zion? How few
are they whose hearts are bleeding for the abounding wicked-
ness of the day! If God should give a commission to the men
with the slaughter weapons to go through Scotland, and
" slay utterly old and young, only come not near any that
sigh and cry ;" O what a depopulated country would it be !
how few inhabitants would be left in the land!

2. In that covenant we are bound to go before one ano-
ther in the example of a real reformation. But, alas! who
makes conscience of this part of the oath of God ? How little
personal reformation is there! how little care to have the
heart purified from lusts and uncleanness ! so that the Lord
may well say to us, as he said to Jerusalem, " O Jerusalem,
wash thine heart from wickedness: how long shall vain
thoughts lodge within thee ?" How little reformation of life !
what a scandalous latitude do many professors of religion
take to themselves, cursing, swearing, lying, drinking, cheat-
ing, and over-reaching others in their dealings, whereby the
way of religion comes to be evil spoken of?

3. By the covenant we engage, not only to reform our-

140 THE GROANS OF BELIEVERS UNDER THEIR BURDENS. [SER.

selves, but our families. But alas! how little of this is to
be found? How little care is taken by many parents and
masters, to have their children and servants, after the example
of Abraham, instructed in the good ways of the Lord! Every
head of a family should be a priest in his family, for main-
taining the worship of God in it : but, alas ! how many are
there who either perform the duty in a superficial manner, or
else live in the total neglect of it ! Go through many noble-
men and gentlemen's families in the kingdom, and you shall
find as little of the worship of God in them, as if they were
Turks and Pagans, and perhaps, less. ^ ea, atheism is be-
come so common among people of higher rank, that, with
some, he is not reckoned a man of any spirit, that will bow
a knee to God in his family.

4. In our national covenant we swear to endeavour the re-
formation of England and Ireland from the remains of Ro-
man hierarchy, and ceremonies of man's invention in the
worship of God. But how is this article performed, when,
by solemn treaty, the representatives of the nation, in a par-
liamentary capacity, have consented, that episcopacy should
continue as the form of worship and government in our
neighbouring nation ? Again, by the covenant we swear to en-
deavour the extirpation of popery: and yet how many masses
are kept openly in the land, particularly in the northern parts
of the kingdom! how many trafficking priests and Jesuits
are swarming among us! and how many professed Protestants
are there, who have of late shown their good will to sacrifice
a protestant interest to the will of a popish Pretender ? Again,
in our national covenant, we abjure prelacy and tyranny in
our church-government: but though prelatic tyranny be not
established, yet there is too much of a prelatic spirit venting
itself among us at this day, while many are laying claim to
a negative voice in radical judicatories, over those whose
offices give them equal interest in the government of the
church with themselves. And there is but too much ty-
ranny exercised over the Lord's people by many judicatories
of the church, while men are thrust in upon them, to take the
charge of their souls, contrary to their own free choice and
election. Christ's little ones are but too little regarded, if
the world's great ones be gratified. On which account many
of the Lord's people are crying at this day with the church,
Cant. v. 7 : " The watchmen that went about the city, found
me, they smote me, they took away my veil from me."
Again; in our covenant, we abjure superstition in worship;
and yet, to the scandal of our holy religion, it is not only to-
lerated by public authority, but greedily gone after by many
in our land. Heresy and error are abjured by the covenant,

V.] THE GROANS OF BELIEVERS UNDER THEIR BURDENS. 141

every doctrine inconsistent with the word of God, and our
Confession of Faith ; and yet all sorts of errors are tolerated,
except rank popery, and blasphemy against the Trinity. It
is true, the standard of our doctrine (blessed be God) remains
pure; but it is to be lamented, there is not so much zeal dis-
covered in curbing error, as our covenant vows do engage us
to. Again ; in our covenant, we abjure malignants ; that is to
say, enemies to a covenanted work of reformation, as being
no members of our church, and, consequently, as having no
right to the privileges of it; and yet malignant lords and
lairds are the men who are generally gratified in the affair of
planting churches, in opposition to them that fear God, and
who. on all occasions, discover their love and regard for a co-
venanted work of reformation. Again ; in the covenant, we
swear against a detestable neutrality and indifference in the
cause of God and religion; and yet how many Gallios are
there among us, who are indifferent whether the interest of
Christ sink or swim ? And does it not discover too much of a
lamentable lukewarmness and indifference of spirit about the
way and work of God, when we are beginning to abridge the
ordinary number of our sermons at our solemn gospel-festi-
vals, and to diminish the solemnity of it, which has been so
remarkably owned of God? What else is this, but a snuffing
at his ordinances, and saying, practically, What a weariness is
it? Mai. i. 13. Whatever some may think of the matter, yet
I know that the hearts of many of the Lord's people are
sorrowful, even unto groaning, for the solemn assembly. I shall
not say, that what is now transacted of late, with relation to
this matter, is a breach of our national covenant ; but I say,
it seems to be a sad evidence of the lukewarmness of our
spirits about the way and work of God. And I find, that a
" changing of the ordinances, and a breaking of the everlast-
ing covenant," go together in scripture, Is. xxiv. 5.

I might have told you of many other things that break
and burden the spirits of the Lord's people at this day ; par-
ticularly, of the removing of the righteous by death ; which,
as it is a great and heavy judgment in itself, so it is an ordi-
nary forerunner of some heavy calamity approaching: Is.
lvii. 1 : " Merciful men are taken away, none considering
that the righteous is taken away from the evil to come."
And I suppose there may be many hearing me, whose hearts
are inwardly groaning to this day, for the removal of that
eminent light (Mr. James Webster,) which shined with such
a refreshing lustre from this pulpit among you so many
years. It bodes ill to our Zion, when such watchmen are
called off from her walls, as, on all occasions, were ready to

142 THE GROANS OF BELIEVERS UNDER THEIR BURDENS. [sER.

blow the trumpet upon the approach of any danger from
earth or hell. But I pass this use, and go on to

A fourth use of the doctrine, which shall be in a word to
two sorts of persons.

First, A word to you who are not burdened in this taber-
nacle. You never knew what it was to groan, either for
your own sins, or for the sins of the land in which you live,
or the tokens of God's anger, which are to be found among
us; these are things of no account with them, they can go
very lightly and easily under them. All I shall say to you,
shall be comprised in these two or three words:

1. It seems the adamant and ndlher- millstone you carry
in your breast, was. never to this day broken by the power
of regenerating grace. And, therefore, I may say to you,
as Peter said to Simon Magus, " Ye are yet in the gall of bit-
terness and in the bond of iniquity," Acts viii. 23. You are
under the slavery of Satan, and the curse of the law, and
wrath of God ; and these are heavy burdens, whether you
feel them or not.

2. Know it for a certainty, that, except mercy and repen-
tance interpose, your groaning time is coming. However
you make light of sin now, and of things serious and sacred;
yet you will find them to be sad and weighty things when
death is sitting down upon yOur eye-lids, when your eye-
strings are breaking, and your souls taking their flight into
another world. O " what will ye do in the day of visitation?
to whom will ye flee for help ? and where will ye leave your
glory?" Is. x. 3. When you are standing trembling panels
before the awful bar of the great Jehovah, will you make
light of sin then? Or will you make light of it, when, with
Dives, you are weltering among the flames of hell? O
" consider this, ye that forget God, lest he tear you in pieces,
and there be none to deliver. Be afflicted, and mourn, and
weep : let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy
to heaviness." Whether do ye think it is better to groan
awhile in this tabernacle under the burden of sin, or to groan
for ever under the weight of God's vengeance, while an end-
less eternity endures?

Secondly, A second sort I would speak a word to, are poor,
broken, and burdened believers, who are groaning under the
weight of these burdens I mentioned. I only offer two or
three things for your encouragement, with which I shall
close ; for we are to " comfort them that mourn in Zion."

1. Know, for thy comfort, poor believer, that thy tender-
hearted Father is privy to all thy secret groans; though the
world know nothing about them, he hears them. " Lord,"

V.] THE GROANS OF BELIEVERS UNDER THEIR BURDENS. 143

says David, " all my desire is before thee; and my groaning
is not hid from thee," Psal. xxxviii. 9. As he puts thy tears
in his bottle, so he marks down thy groans in the book of his
remembrance.

2. As the Lord hears thy groans, so he groans with thee
under all thy burdens : for " he is touched with the feeling
of our infirmities; and in all our afflictions he is afflicted."
He has the bowels of a father to his children: Psal. ciii. 13:
" As a father pitieth his children : so the Lord pitieth them
that fear him." Yea, his heart is so tender toward thee,
that it is compared to the tender affection of a mother to her
sucking child. And, therefore,

3. Know, for thy encouragement, that thou art not alone
under thy burdens. No : " The eternal God is thy refuge,
and underneath are the everlasting arms." He bears thee
and thy burdens both: and, therefore, though you may " pass
through the fire and water; yet the fire shall not burn thee,
the waters of adversity shall not overwhelm thee."

4. Know, for thy comfort, that whatever be thy burden,
and however heavy thy groan ings be, there is abundant
consolation provided for thee in God's covenant. And here
I might go through the several burdens of the Lord's people,
and offer a word of encouragement to you under each. 1
shall only touch them passingly.

1st, Art thou burdened with the body of clay 1 Perhaps
thy clay cottage is always like to drop down every day ; and
this fills thee with heaviness. Well, believer, know, for thy
comfort, that, " if the earthly house of this tabernacle were
dissolved, thou hast a building of God, a house not made
with hands, eternal in the heavens." There are mansions of
glory prepared for thee there, where thou " shalt be for ever
with the Lord."

2dly, Art thou burdened with a burden of sin, crying, " O
wretched man that I am, who shall deliver me from the body
of this death T" Well, here is comfort, believer ; thy "old
man is crucified with Christ, that the body of sin might be
destroyed." Ere long he will present thee to his Father,
"without spot or wrinkle, or any such thing."

Sdly, Art thou burdened with the sense of much actual
guilt? Art thou crying, with David, "Mine iniquities are
gone over mine head : as a heavy burden they are too heavy
for me?" Well, but consider, believer, "God is faithful to
forgive thee :" for he has said, " I will be merciful to their
unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I re-
member no more."

4thly, Art thou burdened with the temptations and fiery

144 THE GROANS OF BELIEVERS UNDER THEIR BURDENS. [sER.

darts of Satan ? Well, but consider, believer, Christ, thy glo-
rious head, the true seed of the woman, has bruised the head
of the old serpent : " through death he has destroyed him
that had the power of death, that is, the devil." And, as he
overcame him in his own person, so he will make thee to
overcome him in thy person ere long : " The God of peace
shall bruise Satan under your feet shortly."

bthly, Is the society of the wicked thy burden? Art thou
crying, " Wo is me, that I sojourn in Mesech? Why, con-
sider, that thou shalt get other company ere long ; when thou
puttest off this clay tabernacle, thou shalt enter in among
" the spirits of just men made perfect." Only stand thy
ground, and be not conformed to the world.

Qthly, Art thou burdened with the abounding sins and
backslidings of the day and generation wherein thou livest ?
Well, be comforted, God's mark is upon thee as one of the
mourners in Zion ; and, in the day when the man with the
slaughter- weapon shall go through, God will give a charge
not to come near any upon whom his mark is found : " Thou
shalt be hid in the day of the Lord's anger."

llhly, Art thou burdened with the concerns of Christ, with
the interests of his kingdom and glory? Is thy heart, with
Eli's, "trembling for fear of the ark of the Lord," lest it get
a wrong touch ? Know, for thy encouragement, that " the
Lord shall reign for ever, even thy God, O Zion, unto all ge-
nerations;" and that, though " clouds and darkness be round
about him," yet justice and judgment are the habitation of
his throne, and mercy and truth shall go before his face."
Though his way be in the whirlwind, and his footsteps in the

freut routers, yet he carries on the designs of his glory, and
is church's good. And as for thee that art " sorrowful for
the solemn assembly, to whom the reproach of it is a bur-
den," God will gather thee unto himself; he will gather thee
unto the " general assembly, and church of the first-born."

8thly, Art thou burdened with manifold afflictions in thy
body, in thy estate, in thy name, in thy relations? Know,
for thy comfort, God is carrying on a design of love to thee
in all these things: " Thy light afflictions, which are but for
a moment, will work for thee a far more exceeding and
eternal weight of glory." See a sweet prophecy for thy
comfort, Is. liv. 11, 12.

Qthly, Art thou burdened with much weighty work? Per-
haps thou knowest not how to manage this and the other duty;
how to adventure to a communion-table, or the like. Well,
for thy encouragement, poor soul, the Lord " sends none a
warfare upon their own charges." And, therefore, look to

V.] THE GROANS OF BELIEVERS UNDER THEIR BURDENS. 145

him, that he may bear thy charges out of the stock that is in
thy Elder Brother's hand ; and " go in his strength, making
mention of his righteousness."

lOthly, Art thou, under the burden of much darkness, cry-
ing, with Job, " Behold, I go forward, but he is not there ; and
backward, but I cannot perceive him?" &,c. Job. xxiii. 8. —
Well, be comforted; for " unto the upright there ariseth light
in the darkness. Unto you that fear my name, shall the sun
of righteousness arise with healing in his wings." And there-
fore say thou with the church, Mic. vii. 9: "He will bring
me forth to the light, and I shall behold his righteousness." —
Again ;

WtJily, Art thou burdened with the Lord's distance from
thy soul, " because the Comforter that should relieve thy soul,
is far from thee?" Lam. i. 16: Well, be comforted, "He will
not contend for ever," he has promised to return, Is. liv. 7, 8.
The Lord cannot keep up himself long from the poor soul that
is weeping and groaning after him ; as we see in Ephraim,
Jer. xxxi. 18, &c. Again ;

12thly, Art thou burdened with the fear of death? Know,
for thy comfort, the sting of death is gone, and it cannot hurt
thee: Hos. xiii. 14: "I will ransom them from the power of
the grave: I will redeem them from death: O death, I will
be thy plague ; O grave, I will be thy destruction."

Lastly, Art thou burdened with the death of the righteous,
particularly with the loss of faithful ministers? Well, be en-
couraged, that though the Lord take away an Elijah, yet the
Lord God of Elijah lives, and the residue of the Spirit is still
with him. And therefore take up David s song, and sing,
" The Lord liveth, and blessed be my rock ; and let the God
of my salvation be exalted."

vol. i. 13

146

SERMON VI.

THE BELIEVER EXALTED IN IMPUTED RIGHTEOUSNESS.*

Surely, shall one say, In the Lord have I righteousness and strength : even
to him shall men come; and all that are incensed against him shall be
ashamed. In the Lord shall all the seed of Israel be justified, and shall
glory. — Is. xlv. 24, 25.

[The subject of the following discourse is high, noble, and excellent. —
But my design at that time, being only to preface a little before the
action-sermon, by that eminent and worthy servant of Christ, Mr.
William Moncrief, I took care to abridge my thoughts upon it as much
as possible. I have since handled the same text, in my ordinary, at
far greater length. But the discourse having been quarrelled with,
as was hinted in the preface to that on Rev. iii. 4, I judged it fit to
send it abroad, in the very same dress in which, to the best of my re-
membrance, it was delivered. It is not accuracy of style or method
I set up for, but the edification of the poor, to whom the gospel is
preached; and therefore shall contend with none upon those heads.
But as for the doctrines here delivered, if I durst not hazard my own
salvation upon the truth of them, I had never adventured to preach
them as the truths of God to others. I am fully persuaded, that one
great reason why the gospel has so little success in our day, is, be-
cause our discourses generally are so little calculated for pulling down
our own, and exalting the righteousness of Christ, as the alone foun-
dation which God hath laid in Zion. Our sermons lose their savour
and efficacy for salvation, if this be wanting: and I humbly think the
great apostle Paul was of this mind, Rom. i. 16, 17: "I am not
ashamed of the gospel of Christ : for it is the power of God unto sal-
vation, to every one that believcth." And if any ask, Whence
comes the gospel to have such power to salvation"? He immediately
answers, "For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith
to faith."]

In thy name shall they rejoice all the day; and in thy righteousness shall
they be exalted. — Psal. Lxxxix. 16.

The psalmist, in the beginning of this psalm, having run
out at great length in the praise and commendation of the
God of Israel, proceeds, from the 15th verse of the psalm, to
declare the happiness of his Israel, or of true believers, of
whom Israel according to the flesh were a type.

* Preached at the celebration of the Lord's supper, at Largo, Sabbath
morning, June 4, 1721.

VI.] THE BELIEVER EXALTED IN IMPUTED RIGHTEOUSNESS. 147

Now, God's Israel are a happy people upon several ac-
counts. 1. Because they are privileged to know the joyful
sound, in the beginning of the 15th verse. The gospel has a
joyful sound ; a sound of peace, a sound of life, a sound of li-
berty and salvation. You are all privileged to hear this
sound with your bodily ears ; but the great question is, do you
know it, understand it, and give faith's entertainment to it?
Alas! Isaiah's lamentation may but too justly be continued,
with respect to the greatest part of the hearers of the gospel,
" Who hath believed our report?" 2. God's Israel are a hap-
py people, because they " walk in the light of his counte-
nance," in the close of the 15th verse. They are privileged
with the special intimations of his love, which puts more glad-
ness in their hearts, than when corn, wine and oil abound. —
3. Whatever discouragement they may meet with from the
world, yet still they have ground of rejoicing in their God :
" In thy name shall they rejoice all the day;" and, " Thanks
be unto God," says the apostle, " who always causeth us to
triumph in Christ." 4. Their happiness is evident from this,
that they are dignified and exalted above others, by the im-
maculate robe of a Surety's righteousness; as you see in the
words of my text, In thy righteous?iess shall they be exalted.

In which words briefly we may notice, 1. The believer's
promotion ; he is exalted. In the first Adam we were de-
based to the lowest hell, the crown having fallen from our
heads : but in Christ, the second Adam, we are again exalt-
ed ; yea, exalted as high as heaven, for we " sit together with
him in heavenly places," says the apostle. This is an incre-
dible paradox to a blind world, that the believer, who is sit-
ting at this moment upon the dunghill of this earth, should at
the same time be sitting in heaven in Chris't, his glorious head
and representative ; and yet it is indisputably true, that we
"sit together with him in heavenly places," Eph. ii. 6. Yea,
in him he " rules the nations with a rod of iron," and tri-
umphs over, and treadeth upon all the powers of hell. 2. We
have the ground of the believer's preferment and exaltation;
It is in thy righteousness. It is not in any righteousness of his
own ; no; this he utterly disclaims, reckoning it but dung and
loss, filthy rags, dogs' meat : but it is in thy righteousness ; that
is, the righteousness of God, as the apostle calls it, Rom. i. 17 :
" The righteousness which is of God by faith," Phil. iii. 9.
The righteousness of God is variously taken in scripture. —
Sometimes for the infinite rectitude and equity of his nature:
Psal. xi. 7 : " The righteous Lord loveth righteousness." —
Sometimes for his rectoral equity, or distributive justice,
which he exercises in the government of the world, reward-
ing the good, and punishing evil-doers ; Psal. xcvii. 2 : f Jus-

148 THE BELIEVER EXALTED [sER.

tice and judgment are the habitation of his throne." Some-
times it is put for his veracity and faithfulness in accomplish-
ing his word of promise, or in executing his word of threaten-
ing ; Psal. xxxvi. 5, 6 : " Thy faithfulness reacheth unto the
clouds : thy righteousness is like the great mountains." Some-
times it is put for the perfect righteousness which Christ, the
Son of God as our Surety and Mediator, brought in, by his
obedience to the law, and death on the cross, for the justifi-
cation of guilty sinners; and this, as I said, is frequently
called the righteousness of God: and in this sense I under-
stand it here in the text, In thy righteousness shall they be ex-
alted.

The observation is much the same with the words them-
selves; namely, That in, or by, the righteousness of Christ, be-
lievers are exalted. Or thus, To whatever honour or happiness
believers are exalted, the righteousness, of Christ is the ground and
foundation of it. It is all owing to the complete obedience,
and meritorious death of the ever-blessed Surety. This is
" the foundation which God hath laid in Zion," upon which
all our happiness in time and through eternity is built.

I have not time now to adduce parallel texts of scripture
for the confirmation of this doctrine, neither can I stand upon
a long prosecution of it, considering what great work you
have before you through the day. All I shall do, shall be
only,

I. To offer a few propositions concerning this righteous-
ness, that you may understand both the nature and necessity
of it.

II. Give you a few of its properties, to clear its excel-
lency.

III. Speak a little of the believer's exaltation by virtue of
this righteousness.

IV. Apply.

I. For the first thing, to offer a few propositions respecting
this righteousness for clearing its nature and necessity.

1. Then, you would know, that God having made man a
rational creature, capable of moral government, gave him a
law suited to his nature, by which he was to govern himself
in the duties he owed to God his great Creator. This law
was delivered to man in the form of a covenant, with a pro-
mise of life upon the condition of perfect obedience, and a
threatening of death in case of disobedience, Gen. ii. 17. —
Thus stood matters between God and man in a state of inno-
cence.

2. „Adam, and all his posterity in him, and with him.

VI.] IN IMPUTED RIGHTEOUSNESS. 149

having broken the covenant, are become liable to the curse,
and penalty of it; so that our salvation is become absolutely
impossible, until justice be satisfied, and the honour of the
broken law repaired. The law and justice of God are very
peremptory, and stand upon a full satisfaction and reparation,
otherwise heaven's gates shall be shut, and eternally barred
against man and all his posterity. The flaming sword of jus-
tice turns every way, to keep us from access to the paradise
that is above.

3. While man in these circumstances, was expecting no-
thing but to fall an eternal sacrifice to divine justice, the eter-
nal Son of God, in his infinite love and pity to perishing sin-
ners, steps in as a Mediator and Surety ; offering not only to
take our nature, but to take our law-place, to stand in our
room and stead : by which the whole obligation of the law,
both penal and preceptive, did fall upon him; that is, he be-
comes liable and obliged both to fulfil the command, and to
endure the curse of the covenant of works, which we had vio-
lated. And here, by the way, it is fit to advertise you, that
it was an act of amazing grace in the Lord Jehovah, to ad-
mit a Surety in our room ; for had he stood to the rigour and
severity of the law, he would have demanded a personal satis-
faction, without admitting of the satisfaction of a Surety:
in which case Adam, and all his posterity, had fallen under
the stroke of avenging justice through eternity. But "glory
to God in the highest," who not only admitted of a Surety,
but provided one, and " laid help upon one that is mighty."

4. Christ, the eternal Son of God, being in " the fulness of
time, made of a woman, and made under the law," as our
Surety, he actually, in our room and stead, fulfilled the whole
terms of the covenant of works; that is, in a word, he obeyed
all the commands of the law, and endured the curse of it, and
thus brings in a complete law-righteousness; by which guilty
sinners are justified before Got!. And this is the righteous-
ness by which we are exalted. By his active and passive
obedience, he magnifies the luzv, and makes it honoi/rable, and
the Lord declares himself to be well pleased for his righteous-
iiess1 sake.

Although Christ obeyed the law, and satisfied justice, and
thus brought in an everlasting law-righteousness for a whole
elect world ; yet the elect of God are never exalted by vir-
tue of this righteousness, till, in a day of power, they be
brought to receive it by faith, and submit to it for justifica-
tion before God. We disclaim that Antinomian error, of an
actual justification from eternity, or yet of a formal justifica-
tion, bearing date from -the death of Christ. We own, in-
deed, with all sound Protestant divines, that it was the pur-

13*

150 THE BELIEVER EXALTED [sER.

pose of God to justify his elect from eternity, and that all
the elect were represented by Christ in his obedience unto
the death ; but that they are actually justified before conver-
sion, or before their application by faith to the blood of Je-
sus, is impossible; because the sentence of the broken law
stands always in force against them, till they actually believe
in the Son of God ; for he that believeth not, is condemned al-
ready. And how can they be both justified and condemned
at the same time? Till then, they are children ofxvralh even
as others.

6. This righteousness of the Surety is conveyed to us by
imputation ; as is abundantly plain from many places of scrip-
ture, particularly, Rom. iv. 6, 11, 12, 23, 24. God reckons
what the Surety did in our room to us ; so that his righteous-
ness becomes as much ours for justification before God, as
though we had obeyed the law, and satisfied justice in our
own person. Now, this imputation of the Surety's righteous-
ness runs principally upon these two or three things: (1.)
Upon the eternal transaction between the Father and the
Son, in which the Son of God was chosen and sustained as
the Surety of an elect world. Then it was that he gave bond
to the Father, to pay their debt in the red gold of his blood,
saying, "Sacrifice and offering thou didst not desire: — Lo, I
come: — I delight to do thy will." (2.) It is grounded upon
the actual imputation of our sins to him: "The Lord laid on
him the iniquity of us all." There is a blessed exchange of
places between Christ and his people: he takes on our sin
and unrighteousness, that we may be clothed with the white
robe of his righteousness : 2 Cor. v. 21 : " He was made sin
for us, who knew no sin: that we might be made the right-
eousness of God in him." (3.) This imputation goes upon the
ground of the mystical union between Christ and the believer.
When the poor soul is determined in a "day of power" to
embrace the Lord Jesus in the arms of faith, Christ and he
in that very moment coalesce into one body. He becomes a
branch of the noble vine; a member of that body of which
Christ is the glorious Head of eminence, influence, and govern-
ment. And being thus united to Christ, the long and white
robe of the Mediator's righteousness is spread over him; by
which he is not only freed from condemnation, but for ever
sustained as righteous in the sight of God ; 1 Cor. i. 30 : " But
of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us
wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemp-
tion."

II. The second general head was, to offer a few properties of
this righteousness in which believers are" exalted, from whence its
excellency will appear.

VI.] IN IMPUTED RIGHTEOUSNESS. 151

1. Then, it is an every way perfect and spotless righteous-
ness : and how can it be otherwise, seeing it is the righteous-
ness of God ? So perfect is it, that the holy law is not only
fulfilled, but magnified and made honourable thereby, Is. xlii.
21. So perfect is this righteousness, that the piercing eye of
infinite justice cannot find the least flaw in it: yea, justice is
so fully satisfied that God speaks of the soul who is clothed
with it, as though it were in a state of innocence, and per-
fectly freed from sin : " Thou art all fair, my love, there is
no spot in thee. He hath not beheld iniquity in Jacob, nei-
ther hath he seen perverseness in Israel." Indeed, he be-
holds many spots in the believer, considered in himself; but
not a spot is in him, considered as under the covert of this
spotless righteousness.

2. It is a meritorious righteousness. The redemption of the
soul is so precious, that it would have ceased for ever, unless it
had been redeemed by this righteousness ; for silver and gold,
and such corruptible things, could never do it. Lay hea-
ven, and all the glories of it, in the balance with this righ-
teousness, they would be all light as a feather, compared, with
it. Heaven is called a purchased inheritance, and this righ-
teousness is the price that bought it. There is such merit in
it, that it expiates sins of the blackest hue, and redeems a
whole elect world from wrath and ruin. Such is the in-
trinsic value of it, that, had it been so designed, it was suffi-
cient to have redeemed the whole posterity of Adam, yea, ten
thousand worlds of angels and men, upon a supposition of
their existence and fall. O with what confidence, then, may
a poor soul venture its eternal salvation upon this founda-
tion !

3. It is an incomparable righteousness. There is no righ-
teousness among the creatures that can be compared with it.
Compare it with our own righteousness by the law, and the
apostle Paul will tell us, that he reckoned his Pharisaical
righteousness before conversion, yea, his own obedience af-
ter conversion, but as dung, when laid in the balance with
it, Phil. iii. 8. Compare it with Adam's righteousness in a
state of innocence, or with the righteousness of the spotless ,
angels, they are but like glow-worms, when compared with
this sun : the one is but the righteousness of a creature, but
here is " the righteousness of God."

4. It is a soul-beautifying and adorning righteousness : Is.
lxi. 10: "I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my soul shall be
joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me with the garments
of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteous-
ness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and
as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels." The poor soul,

152 THE BELIEVER EXALTED [sER.

that was black, by lying among the pots, when clothed with
this robe, shines " as the wings of a dove, covered with silver,
and her feathers with yellow gold."

5. It is an everlasting righteousness, as the prophet Daniel
calls it, chap. ix. 24. Indeed, this righteousness had no be-
ing, save in the purpose and promise of God, till Christ ac-
tually appeared in our nature, and satisfied the commands of
the law, and demands of justice : however, upon that very be-
ing that it had in the purpose and promise of God, it became
effectual for the justification of all the Old Testament saints.
This righteousness, then, I say, is an everlasting righteousness,
both as to the contrivance and duration of it. The contri-
vance of it bears date from the council of peace in the ancient
years of eternity; for the Surety was set upfront everlasting.
And, as it is everlasting in its root, so also in its fruit; for upon
this righteousness the saints will stand, and be acquitted at the
day of judgment; and upon this bottom they will have their
standing in heaven through eternity. The song of the re-
deemed for ever will be, " He loved us, and washed us from
our sins in his own blood."

6. It is a soul-dignifying and exalting righteousness. Solo-
mon, (Prov. xiv. 34,) speaking of equity in the administration
of justice, says, that even that kind of righteousness exaltelh
a nation. I am sure this holds true of the imputed righteous-
ness of the Lord Jesus, as you see in my text, In thy righte-
ousness shall they be exalted. But this leads to

III. The third thing in the method, which was to speak of
the believer's exaltation by virtue of this righteousness. And
here I will very briefly show, 1. What evils it exalts him
above. 2. What happiness and dignity it exalts him to.

First, What evils it exalts him above.

1. It exalts him above the law as a covenant of works;
yea, above both the commanding and the condemning power
of that covenant. " Ye are not under the law," says the
apostle, " but under grace," Rom. vi. 14. And if they be not
under it, it follows that they are exalted above it. Indeed,
they are not, and cannot be above it as a rule of duty ; no
creature can be dispensed from the obligation of yielding obe-
dience to the laws of the great Creator; and the believer, in
a peculiar manner, is bound to obey the law of the Creator, in
the hand of a Mediator. But considering the law as a cove-
nant of works, demanding the debt of obedience as a condi-
tion of life, or threatening eternal wrath in case of disobe-
dience, the believer is indeed exalted above it by the righte-
ousness of Christ. And if the law at any time attempt to
bring the believer in bondage to it, he is to " stand fast in the
liberty wherewith Christ hath made him free." The bond

VI.] IN IMPUTED RIGHTEOUSNESS. 153

woman Hagar, with her offspring of legal fears and terrors,
are cast out by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, Gal. iv. 30.
If a believer in Christ shall hear the thunderings and curses
of mount Ebal, or Sinai, he has no reason to be affrighted;
for " Christ," by his righteousness, " hath redeemed from the
curse of the law." " Thou art not come unto the mount that
might be touched, and that burned with fire, nor unto black-
ness, and darkness, and tempest : — but thou art come unto
mount Sion, — and to Jesus the Mediator of the new cove-
nant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better
things than that of Abel." The believer is " dead to the law
by the body of Christ," being married to a better husband,
even him that is raised from the dead.

2. By this righteousness the believer is exalted above the
world. Rev. xii. 1, the " woman clothed with the sun, has the
moon under her feet;" which may not only point at the be-
liever's duty to soar heavenward in his affections, but also his
privilege in Christ, to trample both upon the frowns and flat-
teries of this lower world ; according to that [declaration] of
the apostle, " This is the victory that overcometh the world,
even our faith."

3. By this righteousness he is exalted above the power and
malice of Satan, indeed, as long as the believer is on this side
of Jordan, the devil will be harassing him with his fiery darts,
and do his utmost to make him go halting to heaven; but by
virtue of this righteousness, namely, the doing and dying of our
ever-blessed Surety, the devil is both disarmed and destroyed.
The head of the old serpent is bruised; for "through death
he destroyed him that had the power of death, that is, the
devil. And by faith in the blood and obedience of the Lord
Jesus, the believer treads Satan under his feet; they overcome
him by the blood of the Lamb.

4. By this righteousness the believer is exalted above death.
Perhaps thou art in bondage through fear of death; thy heart
is like to faint and fail thee, when thou lookest to the swellings
of this Jordan. But take a view of this righteousness, and
thou shalt be exalted above the fears of it ; for although thou
be liable to the stroke of death, vet by this righteousness thou
art freed from the sting of it. What is the sting of death? It
is sin. Now, Christ has " finished transgression, and made an
end of sin," by bringing in " everlasting righteousness." And
therefore thou mayest roll that word like a sweet morsel under
thy tongue, Hos. xiii. 14 : "I will ransom them from the power
of the grave; I will redeem them from death. O death, 1
will be thy plagues ; O grave, I will be thy destruction."

5. By this righteousness the believer is exalted above all accu-
sations, from whatever quarter they may come, Rom. viii. 33.

154 THE BELIEVER EXALTED [sER.

There the apostle gives a bold challenge, " Who shall lay any
thing to the charge of God's elect?" The challenge is universal
in every respect of all accusers : as if he had said, Is there
any in heaven, earth, or hell that can accuse them'? It is
universal in respect of all the accused; for the whole elect of
God are comprehended, among whom there have been as great
sinners as ever breathed on God's earth. And it is universal
in respect of all crimes : it is not said, Who shall lay this, or
that, or the other crime to their charge? but any thing? and
what can be more comprehensive ? Now, what is the ground
of this bold challenge? It is grounded on the righteousness of
Christ: for, says the apostle, "It is God that justifieth : who
is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather that
is risen again, &c."

Secondly, 1 come to show what happiness or dignity the
believer is exalted to by virtue of this righteousness. And, in
so many words, I only name these two or three particulars: —

1. He is exalted by it to a state of peace and reconciliation
with God : Rom. v. 1 : "Being justified by faith, we have peace
with God." God for ever lays aside every grudge in his heart
against the soul that is clothed with it.

2. They are exalted by this righteousness to a state of son-
ship. Christ was " made under the law, to redeem them that
were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of
sons," Gal. iv. 4, 5.

3. To a state of fellowship and familiarity with God, and
access to him with holy confidence and boldness: Heb. x. 19 —
22: "Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the
holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which
he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his
flesh; and having a high priest over the house of God: let
us draw near with a true heart, in full assurance of faith."
Heb. iv. 14, 16: "Seeing, then, that we have a great high
priest, that is passed into the heavens. Jesus the Son of God,
let us come boldly unto the throne of grace." The believer
may come, under the covert of this righteousness, with as
great freedom to God as his Father in Christ, as ever Adam
could have done in a state of innocence.

4. At last thou shalt be exalted to a state of endless glory.
For heaven (as I intimated before) is the purchase of the
obedience and death of Christ ; and faith acted on this right-
eousness and satisfaction, is the path of life, by which we en-
ter into these rivers of pleasures, and that fulness of joy which
is at God's right hand for evermore.

IV. The fourth thing was the application of the doctrine.
And my first use shall be of information, in these few parti-
culars:—

VI.] IN IMPUTED RIGHTEOUSNESS. 155

1. Is it so, that in a Surety's righteousness believers are
exalted? then see hence, that whatever account the world
may make of them, as the dross and off-scouring of the earth,
yet they are dignified persons in God's reckoning: "Since
thou wast precious in my sight, thou hast been honourable."

2. See, hence, that the believer has no ground of boasting.
Why? Because it is not in his own, but in Christ's righteous-
ness, that he is exalted: "Boasting is excluded," says the
apostle. "By what law? of works! Nay; but by the law of
faith," Rom. iii. 27. *If it were by our own doings or obe-
dience that we were exalted, we would have something to
boast of: but since it is in his righteousness that we are exalted,
we have nothing whereof to glory in ourselves. There are
three questions that the apostle asks, which may silence all
flesh, and put all boasters to an eternal blush, 1 Cor. iv. 7 :
" Who maketh thee to differ? What hast thou that thou
didst not receive ? Why dost thou glory as if thou hadst
not received it ?" Let believers themselves ask their souls
these, or the like inquiries, when pride begins to rise in their
breasts.

3. See, hence, what obligation we lie under to the Lord
Jesus ; who, although he was the great Lawgiver, yet was
content to be made under the law ; though he was the Lord
of life, yet humbled himself unto the death, to bring in that
righteousness by which we are exalted. He was content to
be " numbered among the transgressors," that we might be
counted among the righteous ; he was content to become
sin, " that we might be made the righteousness of God ;"
content to become " a curse for us, that the blessing of Abra-
ham might rest upon us." O admire this love, which passeth
knowledge.

4. See, hence, a noble antidote against a spirit of bondage
to fear. What is it that thou fearest, O believer? Indeed, if
thou sin, thou mayest fear the rod of a Father ; for he " will
visit thy transgression with the rod, and thine iniquity with
stripes." But art thou afraid of vindictive wrath ? There
is no ground for this, (Luke i. 74:) he has " delivered us out
of the hands of our enemies, that we might serve him with-
out fear;" that is, without all servile or slavish fear of wrath.
Art thou afraid of the tempests of mount Sinai ? There is
no ground for that, for the storm broke upon the head of thy
Surety ; and, therefore, thou mayst sing and say, as Is. xii. 1,
" Though thou wast angry with me, thine anger is turned
away." Art thou afraid, lest thou be refused access to the
presence-chamber ? Improve this righteousness by faith, and
thou shalt see that the way to the holy of holiest is opened,
and get the banner of love displayed over thee. Whenever

156 THE BELIEVER EXALTED [sER.

the poor believer takes the righteousness of the Surety in the
hand of faith, and holds it up to God as a ransom of his own
finding, he is so well pleased with it, that his frowns are
turned into smiles. In a word, you shall never get rid of a
spirit of bondage, till you learn by faith to improve this law-
biding righteousness ; and then, indeed, legal fears and ter-
rors vanish, like the darkness of the night before the rising
of the sun.

Use second, of reproof 'to all those who are seeking to exalt
themselves by a righteousness of their own, like the Jews,
Rom. x. 3 ; who " went about to establish their own right-
eousness, and would not submit themselves unto the right-
eousness of God." There are some of the hearers of the
gospel, who exalt themselves in a negative righteousness :
they are not so bad as others : they are free of gross out-
breakings, being no common drunkards, swearers, or Sab-
bath-breakers ; and, therefore, conclude that all is right with
them. But, sirs, the Pharisee could make this boast : and
Paul before conversion could say, that touching the law he was
blameless; and yet, when God opened his eyes, he found himself
lying under the arrest of justice; for, " when the command-
ment came, sin revived, and he died." Others are exalting
themselves in a moral kind of righteousness ; they not only
" cease to do evil," but do many things that are materially
good : they are sober, temperate, just in their dealings, liberal
to the poor, good peaceable neighbours ; they love every body,
and every body loves them ; they keep the commandments as
well as they can: and this is the ground they are standing upon.
But I may say to you, as Christ said to the young man, who
told him, " All these things have I kept from my youth up,
Yet lackest thou one thing." O what is that? say you. I an-
swer, it is to be brought off from the rotten bottom of a cove-
nant of works, that you are standing upon. You want to see
that you are spiritually dead in trespasses and sins, and that
you are legally dead, condemned already, and the wrath of
God abiding on you. You want to see, that "all your own
righteousness is as filthy rags," and to be made to say, with
the church, " Surely in the Lord have I righteousness and
strength." Others will go farther than bare morality : they
will ahound in the duties of religion, read, hear, pray, commu-
nicate, run from sermon to sermon, from sacrament to sacra-
ment; and upon these things they rest. All these things are
good in their proper places ; but if you build your hope of
acceptance here, you are still upon a covenant of works bot-
tom, seeking righteousness, " as it were by the works of the
law ;" and while you do so, you do but seek the living among
the dead. All your works are but dead works, till you are

VI.] IN IMPUTED RIGHTEOUSNESS. 157

in Christ; and they will hut stand for ciphers in God's rec-
koning, till you be brought to submit to this righteousness, by
which alone guilty sinners can be exalted. Others rely upon
a mixed kind of righteousness: they will freely own, that their
duties and performances will never exalt them into favour
and acceptance with God ; but, O, say they, it is Christ and
our duties, Christ and our prayers, he and our tears and re-
pentance, that must do it. But believe it, sirs, Christ and the
idol of self will never cement; these old rotten rags will never
piece in with the white and new robe of the righteousness of
the Son of God : and if you adventure to mingle them toge-
ther, " Christ shall profit you nothing," Gal. v. 2 — 4. Others,
again, will pretend to renounce all their works and duties,
and own, with their mouths, that it is by faith in Christ only
that they hope to be accepted : but though they own this with
their mouth, yet still their hearts cleave fast to a covenant
of works; they were never "through the law, dead to the
law ;" and when nothing else will do, they will make their
own act of believing the righteousness on which they lean for
acceptance; which is still a seeking righteousness in them-
selves: whereas, if ever we be justified before God, we must
have it in the Lord Jesus, saying, " In him" will we" be justi-
fied," and " in him alone " will we "glory." Faith carries the
soul quite out of itself; yea, faith renounces its own act in the
point of justification. All these, and many other rooms and
lying refuges, have the devil and our own hearts devised, to
lead us off from Christ. But, O sirs, believe it, these are but
imaginary sanctuaries, and the hail will sweep them away.
Nothing but the doing and dying of the Surety, apprehended
by faith, will ever exalt you into favour and fellowship with
God, or acquit you from the curse and condemnation of the
broken law. And unless you betake yourselves to the horns
of this blessed altar, to this refuge of God's appointing, you
are undone ; and you may read your doom, Is. 1. 11 : " Behold,
all ye that kindle a fire, that compass yourselves about with
sparks; walk in the light of your fire, and in the sparks that
ye have kindled. This shall ye have of mine hand ; ye shall
lie down in sorrow."

Use third, of trial. Is it so, that in Christ's righteousness
we are exalted? O then, sirs, try if you be really exalted by
this righteousness.

There is the more need to try this now, that you are to
approach the table of the Lord. This righteousness is the
wedding-garment, without which you cannot be welcome
guests. And if you adventure to meddle with the symbols
of Christ's body and blood without it, you may expect that
the master of the feast will say to you, " Friend, how earnest

vol. i. 14

158 THE BELIEVER EXALTED [sER.

thou in hither, not having a wedding-garment?" For your
trial, I offer these two or three things : —

1. Hast thou seen thyself condemned by the law or cove-
nant of works? Every man, by nature, "is condemned already,"
while out of Christ. Now, the ordinary way that God takes
of bringing an elect soul into Christ, and under the covering
of his righteousness, is hy discovering to him the sentence of
condemnation that he is under by virtue of the broken law ;
and thus paves the way toward his acceptance of Christ as
" the Lord our righteousness ;" for thus it is that " the law is
our schoolmaster, to lead us unto Christ, that we may be jus-
tified by faith." The Lord leads the sinner to mount Zion by
the foot of Sinai: the Spirit's way is, first, to "convince of
sin," and then " of righteousness."

2. Has the Lord discovered the Surety and his righteous-
ness to thee ? and has1 thy soul found rest here ? Perhaps the
law, and its curses, justice and wrath, were pursuing thee;
and thou couldst not find a hole in which to hide thy head,
" all refuge failed." At length the Lord drew by the veil,
and discovered his righteousness as a sufficient shelter, say-
ing, "Turn ye to the strong hold, ye prisoners of hope." And
thither thou fledst, as to a city of refuge, saying, "This is
my rest, here will I dwell." Readily, when it comes to this,
there is a little heaven of serenity and joy enters into the soul;
so that, if it were possible, it would make heaven and earth
to ring with hallelujahs of praise to God for "his unspeak-
able gift." Dost thou not know, O believer, something o/ this,
to thy sweet experience ? This says, that in his righteousness
thou art exalted.

3. When an arrow of conviction is at any time shot by the
hand of God into thy conscience, by which thy peace and
quiet is disturbed, whither dost thou run for ease and relief?
The man that is " married to the law," runs to the law for
relief and ease : the law is the thing that heals him ; his
prayers, his tears, his reformation, is that which stops the
mouth of his conscience. But, as for the believer, he can ne-
ver find rest on this side of " the blood of sprinkling," he gets
his healing only from under the wings of the Sun of right-
eousness. No other balm will give him ease, but the balm
of Gilead; and no other hand can apply it, but the Physician
there.

4. If you be exalted by imputed righteousness, you will be
the real students of gospel-holiness. It is a gross perversion
of the gospel, and a turning of the grace of our God into wan-
tonness, for any to pretend that they are justified by the merit
of Christ, while they are not at the same time concerned to
be sanctified by the Spirit of Christ. Sanctification, or free-

VI.] IN IMPUTED RIGHTEOUSNESS. 159

dom from the power and dominion of sin, is a part, and no
small part, of that salvation which Christ has purchased by
his obedience and death; Tit. ii. 14: " Who gave himself for
us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify to
himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works." Justifica-
tion and sanctification go always hand in hand. He who is
made of God unto us righteousness, is also made sanctification ;
we are justified and sanctified in the name of the Lord Jesus,
and by the Spirit of our God. Try yourselves, then, by this,
whether you be exalted by this righteousness. Are you de-
livered from the reigning power of sin? at least, is it so far
broken, that it is become your burden, under which you groan,
saying, with the apostle, " Wretched man that I am, who
shall deliver me from the body of this death?"

Use fourth shall be of consolation and encouragement to be-
lievers who are exalted in this righteousness. By virtue of
it, O believer, thou art entitled to every thing that possibly
thou canst stand in need of. Whatever grace or mercy thou
wantest, thou shalt have it, if thou do but improve this law-
biding righteousness. Dost thou want pardoning grace to
take away the guilt of sin? That is one of the gifts of God,
through the righteousness of Christ apprehended by faith; for
" he is set forth to be a propitiation, through faith in his blood,
to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins." Dost
thou want to have thy peace with God confirmed ? Improve
this righteousness by faith ; for " being justified by faith, we
have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ." Dost
thou want " access unto the holiest ?" By faith in the blood
of Jesus have we access with boldness. Dost thou want medi-
cinal grace for healing of soul plagues ? Improve this right-
eousness by faith ; for by his stripes we are healed. Out of the
side of our gospel-altar comes forth living water, that hcaleth
the corrupt and dead sea of indwelling corruption, Ezek. xlvii.
9. This is " the tree of life, whose leaves are for the heal-
ing of the nations." Dost thou want a shadow or covering,
to shelter thy weary soul from the scorching heat of divine
anger, or of temptation from Satan or tribulation from the
world ? Improve this righteousness, and sit down under the
shadow of it ; it is " as the shadow of a great rock in a weary
land." Dost thou want courage to look the law or justice
of God in the face ? Here is a fund for it ; for under this
covering thou mayst look out with confidence, and say, Who
can lay any thing to my charge ? Dost thou want to huve the
new covenant confirmed to thy soul ? Improve this righteous-
ness by faith ; for Christ, by his obedience and death, con-
firmed the covenant with many. His blood is the blood of the
New Testament ; and when the soul by faith takes hold of it,

160 THE HUMBLE SOUL [SER.

the covenant of grace is that moment confirmed to it for ever.
In a word, by virtue of this righteousness thou mayst come
to a communion-table, and to a throne of grace, and ask what
thou wilt; our heavenly Father can refuse nothing to the
younger brethren, who come to him in their Elder Brother's
garment. By virtue of this righteousness, thou mayst lay
claim to every thing, to all the blessings of heaven and eter-
nity. Thou didst, indeed, forfeit thy right in the first Adam ;
but the forfeiture is recovered, and the right restored to thee
upon a better ground, namely, upon the obedience and death
of the second Adam ; and thou comest in upon his right. May
not all this then revive thy drooping spirit, and make thee
take up that song in the text, In thy name will I rejoice ali
the day ; and in thy righteousness will I be exalted.

SERMON VII.

THE HUMBLE SOUL THE PECULIAR FAVOURITE OF HEAVEN.*

When men are cast clown, then thou shalt say, There is lifting up; and he
shall save the humble person. — Job xxir. 29.

Be ye clothed with humility; for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace
to the humble. Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand
of God, that he may exalt you in due time. — 1 Pet. v. 5, 6.

Though the Lord be high, yet hath he respect unto the lowly: but the
proud he knoweth afar off. — Psal. cxxxvih. 6.

It is not material to inquire when, or upon what occasion,
this psalm was penned. In the beginning of the psalm, the
psalmist enters upon a firm resolution to praise the Lord ; and
he lays down several excellent grounds of praise and thanks-
giving through the body of the psalm. As,

1. He resolves to praise God for the experience he had of
his love and faithfulness, in the accomplishment of his gra-
cious word of promise to him, ver. 2 : " I will praise thy name
for thy loving kindness, and for thy truth : for thou hast mag-

* Preached on a fast-day before the administration of the Lord's supper,
at Orwell, July 27, 1721.

VII.] THE PECULIAR FAVOURITE OF HEAVEN. 161

nified thy word above all thy name." God has a greater re-
gard to the words of his mouth, than to the works of his
hand : Heaven and earth shall pass away, but one jot or tit-
tle of what he hath spoken shall never fall to the ground. —
Some understand this of Christ, the essential Word, in whom
he has set his name, and whom he has so highly exalted, that
he has given him a name above every name.

2. David resolves to praise God for the experience he had
of God's goodness in hearing his prayers, ver. 3 : "In the day
when I cried, thou answeredst me : and strengthenedst me
with strength in my soul." God granted him a speedy an-
swer ; for it was in the very day that he cried that he was
heard: and it was a spiritual answer; he was strengthened
with strength in his soul. Would you have soul-strength for
the work you have in view 1 then cry unto him who is the
strength of Israel for it; for "he giveth power to the faint,
and he increaseth strength to them that have no might."

3. He resolves to praise God for the calling of the Gentiles,
which he foresaw by the spirit of prophecy, ver. 4, 5. The
prosperity and enlargement of the kingdom of Christ, is what
fills the believer's mouth with hallelujahs of praise.

4. He resolves to bless God for his different ways of deal-
ing with the humble and the proud, for his grace to the one,
and his contempt and rejection of the other, in the words
which I have read : Though the Lord be high, yet hath he re-
spect unto the lowly: but the proud he knowelh afar off.

It is the first part of the verse 1 design to insist upon. —
Where we may notice,

1. The character of the gracious soul; he is a lotdy per-
son, one that is emptied, and abased in his own eyes. He
sees nothing in himself, either to recommend him to God or
man : on which account he is sometimes called poor in spirit,
Matth. v. 3. He has got something of the mind and spirit of
Jesus in him, and so has learned of him who is meek and low-
ly, Matth. xi. 29.

2. We have here God's transcendent greatness; he is the
high Lord, or Jehovah. He is " the high and lofty One that
inhabiteth eternity, and who dwells in the high and holy
place, to which no man can approach." Who can think or
speak of his highness in a suitable manner? It dazzles the
eyes of sinful mortal worms, to behold " the place where his
honour dwells." O how infinite is the distance between him
and us ! " There are none among the sons of the mighty
that can be compared unto him." Yea, " the inhabitants of
the earth arc before him as a drop of a bucket, and as the
small dust of the balance." He is not only high above men,
but above angels : cherubims and seraphims are his minis-

W

162 THE HUMBLE SOUL [SER.

tering spirits. He is " high above the heavens ;" for " the
heaven," yea, " the heaven of heavens cannot contain him."
And " he humbleth himself" when "he beholds the things
that are in heaven." O, sirs, study to entertain high and ad-
miring thoughts and apprehensions of the glorious majesty of
God : for " honour and majesty are before him ; strength and
beauty are in his sanctuary."

3. You have the amazing grace of this High God: though
the distance between him and us be infinite, yet he hath a
regard to the lozvly. The apostle Peter expresses this by
"giving grace to the humble," 1 Pet. v. 5: God is "good to
all;" he distributes the effects of his common bounty to the
good and bad, to the just and unjust : but he reserves his spe-
cial grace and favour for the meek and lowly soul. What
farther is needful for explication, will occur in the sequel of
the discourse.

Observe that the lowly and humble soul is the peculiar fa-
vourite of the high God. Though the Lord be high, yet hath
he respect unto the lowly..

This truth is so evidently founded on the text, that I shall
not consume time in adducing other texts of scripture to con-
firm it. Many that I might name will fall in, in the prosecu-
tion of the doctrine ; which I shall attempt, through grace,
in the following method.

I. I shall give some account of this lowliness and humility,
and show in what it consists.

II. Prove, that the humble and lowly soul is the peculiar
favourite of heaven.

III. Why God has such respect to the lowly.

IV. Lay before you some marks or characters of the lowly
and humble soul.

V. Offer some motives pressing you to seek after it.

VI. Offer a few directions or advices how it may be at-
tained.

I. The first thing proposed is, to give some account of this
lowliness and humility, that you may k?ww in what it cojisists. —
Now, lowliness being a relative grace, we must consider it in
a threefold view. Either, 1. As it has a respect to ourselves.
Or, 2. As it has a respect to others. Or, 3. As it has a re-
spect to God.

First, I say, it may be considered with respect to ourselves.
And so it implies,

1. Low and under-rating thoughts of ourselves. The hum-
ble soul has low thoughts of his own person ; as David, " I

VII.] THE PECULIAR FAVOURITE OF HEAVEN. 163

am a worm, and no man." " I am less than the least of thy
mercies," says Jacob. He has low thoughts of his pedigree :
he is not like the princes of Zoan, who valued themselves on
this, that they were the offspring of ancient kings. Some
think there is none like them, because they are of such a clan,
and such a family, they have such lords and lairds for their
relations. But the humble soul makes little account of all
these : " Who am I," says David, " and what is mine house,
that thou hast brought me hitherto 1" He considered himself
as "the degenerate plant of a strange vine;" as a' rotten
branch of the corrupted and fallen family of Adam : he views
" the rock whence he was hewn, and the hole of the pit whence
he was digged," saying as in Psal. li. 5 : " Behold, I was
shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me."
Again; the man has low thoughts of his own abilities for any
work or service he is called to perform in his generation. O,
says the lowly soul, I see I am nothing, I can do nothing; I
cannot of myself think a good thought. " 1 am not sufficient
of myself to think any thing as of myself," says Paul. I can-
not read, hear, pray, communicate, meditate, or examine my-
self: I see such sin and imperfection attending every duty I
set about, as may justly provoke a holy God to cast it back
like dung upon my face: I am sure " my goodness extendeth
not to him." I see I cannot subdue one corruption, or resist
the least temptation, when left to myself; I fall before it, and
must needs be carried down the stream like a dead fish, un-
less the Lord's grace be sufficient lor me. Again ; the man
has low thoughts of his attainments, whether moral or evan-
gelical. O, says Agur, " I am more brutish than any man, and
have not the understanding of a man. I neither learned wis-
dom, nor have the knowledge of the holy." And Paul, the
great apostle of the Gentiles, did not reckon that he had at-
tained, or that he was already perfect; but he forgets those
things which were behind, reaching forth unto things that
were before, Phil. iii. 12, 13.

2. This lowliness and humility with respect to ourselves,
has in it a self-abhorrence ; which is yet a degree beyond the
former. The man sees so much sin and guilt, so much emp-
tiness, poverty, and vileness about himself, that, with holy Job,
he cries out, "Behold, I am vile; what shall I answer thee?
I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes." Agreeably
to which is that text, Ezek. xxxvi. 31 : " Ye shall remember
your own evil ways, and your doings that were not good, and
shall loathe yourselves in your own sight, for your iniquities,
and for your abominations."

3. It has in it a singleness of heart in the discharge of duty,
without vain-glory, or Pharisaical ostentation. It argues a

164 THE HUMBLE SOUL [sER.

proud hypocritical spirit, to pray, or give alms, or do any
duty, to be seen of men, that we may procure a name to our-
selves, or the approbation of others. I am afraid, there are
many that attend sermons, and sacraments, with a design to
maintain their credit and reputation among their neighbours.
Verily, such " have their reward ;" but a sorry one it is, when
they have got it : the day comes, when this fig-leaf covering
shall be torn, and your nakedness, emptiness, and hypocrisy,
exposed before men and angels. The humble and lowly
Christian will make conscience of duty, although none in the
world should see him ; yea, the more retired he is, he loves it
the better : he cares not though, in things of this nature, his
left hand know not what his right hand doth.

Secondly, This lowliness and humility, considered with re-
spect to others, has these things in it: —

1. A preferring of others above or before ourselves. Agree-
ably to this is the apostolical command, Phil. ii. 3: "Let nothing
be done through strife, or vain-glory, but in lowliness of mind
let each esteem other better than themselves." Not that a
child of God should think a profane reprobate in a better state
than himself; but every true child of God will see so much in
himself, as will make him ready to think the worst reprobate
as good, or rather better than he is by nature; and he will
see, that the least of saints have something in which they excel
him. This was the disposition of the great apostle, he looked
on himself as the chief of sinners, and the least of the saints.

2. A looking upon the gifts and graces of others without a
grudge. He will not say, This or that man darkens me: no;
he rejoices to see the gifts and graces of God's Spirit abound-
ing towards others: "Would God," says Moses, "that all the
Lord's people were prophets." And then he will shun all vain
comparison of himself with others: he will not say, " Stand
by, for I am holier than thou;" or, with the proud Pharisee,
" God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, or even
as this publican." No, he rather sinks in his own esteem,
when he looks on others, as Agur did, Pro v. xxx. 2.

3. It has in it an affable, courteous carriage toward all,
1 Pet. iii. 8. Religion does not countenance a sullen, morose,
and haughty carriage; no, on the contrary, we are expressly
commanded to be "gentle, showing all meekness unto all men."

Thirdly, This lowliness and humility of soul may be con-
sidered with reference to God. And so it implies these things
following: —

1. High and admiring thoughts of the majesty of God. When
God discovers himself, the man sinks into nothing in his own
esteem. O, will the humble soul say, with Moses, (Exodus xv.
11,) " Who is like unto thee, O Lord, amongst the gods? who

VII.] THE PECULIAR FAVOURITE OF HEAVEN. 165

is like thee, glorious in holiness, fearful in praises, doing won-
ders?"

2. A holy fear and dread of God always on his spirit ;
especially in his immediate approaches unto the presence of
God, in the duties of his worship. Says he, The very angels
cover their faces with their wings before him, crying, " Holy,
holy, holy is the Lord God of hosts ; " how then shall I, " a
man of polluted lips," take his holy name into my mouth?
This makes him, with the publican, to smite upon his breast;
to stand afar off, crying, " God be merciful to me a sinner."
That is the language of the humble soul, which you have,
Psal. xv. 1 : " Lord, who shall abide in thy tabernacle 1 who
shall dwell in thy holy hill? and, Psal. xxiv. 3: Who shall
ascend into the hill of the Lord ? and who shall stand in his
holy place? "

3. It has in it an admiring of every expression of the divine
bounty and goodness toward men in general, and toward him-
self in particular. O, says he, " What is man, that thou art
mindful of him ? and the son of man, that thou visitest him?
and, Who am I, that thou hast brought me hitherto ? Is this
the manner of men, O Lord God ? And what can I say more ?"
as David. And what more can be said ! for " praise is silent
for thee, O God, in Zion." A silent admiration of the grace
and condescension of the great Jehovah, is the highest degree
of praise we can win at in this life, while our harps are so
mistuned by sin.

4. It has in it a giving God the glory of all that we are
helped to do in his service. When the man succeeds in dis-
charging duty in any measure comfortably, he will not sacri-
fice to his own net, nor burn incense to his own drag: he will
not, like proud Jehu, say, "Come, and see my zeal for the
Lord." No, that is not the way of the humble soul ; he knows
that he has all from the Lord, and therefore he will give all
the glory to him, saying, " Not unto us, O Lord, not unto
us, but to thy name be the glory. I laboured," says Paul,
"more abundantly than all" the rest of the apostles; "yet
not I, but the grace of God, which was with me. — By the
grace of God lam what I am."

5. It has in it a silent resignation to the will of God, and
an acquiescence in the disposals of his providence, let dis-
pensations be ever so cross to the inclinations of flesh and
blood. " Here am I," will the poor soul say, with David ; " let
him do to me as seemeth good unto him." The man sees awful
sovereignty in the dispensation, which makes him to say, "Shall
the thing formed say to him that formed it, Why hast thou
made me thus? " He sees, that his furnace is not by the ten
thousandth part so hot as his sins deserve ; and therefore silences

THE HUMBLE SOUL [SER.

his soul, with the church, saying, " Wherefore doth a living
man complain, a man for the punishment of his sins? Thou
hast punished us less than our iniquities deserve." He sees,
that the cup put into his hand, is far from the bitterness of that
cup that was put into the hand of Christ; and this makes him
to say, " If these things were done in the green tree, what
shall be done to" such a withered stick as I am? and there-
fore I will even be dumb zcith silence before him, not opening
the mouth, because it is the Lord that doth it.

6. Although all these things I have named be the ingredi-
ents and concomitants of true humility; yet I think the very
soul and essence of gospel-humiliation lies in the soul's renuncia-
tion of itself, and going out of itself, and going in to, and
accepting of the Lord Jesus Christ, as its everlasting all; as
the all of its light, life, strength, righteousness, and salvation.
And I think, that a man never passes the verge of moral
humility, till self-righteousness be dethroned, till the high and
towering imaginations of the man's own righteousness by the
law be levelled by the mighty weapons of the gospel, and he
brought to submit to the righteousness of God for justification,
which is, in the gospel revealed " from faith to faith."

In a word, the humble and lowly believer is content to be
nothing, that Christ may be all in all to him : content to be a
fool, that Christ may be his only wisdom ; content to be, as he
really is in himself, a guilty condemned criminal, that Christ
may be his only righteousness ; content to be stript of his filthy
rags, that he may be clothed with a borrowed robe. O says
the humble soul, " Surely in the Lord alone have I righteous-
ness and strength : in him will I be justified, and in him alone
will I glory," Is. xlv. 24, 25 : " Yea, doubtless," says humble
Paul, " I count all things but loss, for the excellency of the
knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord : and do count them but
dung that I may win Christ, and be found in him ; not having
mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which
is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God
by faith," Phil. iii. 8, 9. And so much for the Jirst general
head, namely, the nature of this lowliness.

II. The second thing proposed was to show that the lowly
and humble soul is the peculiar favourite of Heaven. This will
be abundantly evident, if we consider,

1. That when the Son of God was here in our nature, he
showed a particular regard to such. You have a clear instance
of this in the centurion, Matth. viii. 8. The centurion there
addresses Christ in behalf of his servant, who was grievously
tormented of the palsy : Christ, in the 7th verse, promises to
come to his house and heal him. Well, see the lowliness of the
man's spirit, ver. 8 : " Lord," says he, " I am not worthy that

VII.] THE PECULIAR FAVOURITE OF HEAVEN. 167

thou shouldst come under my roof." And what a large com-
mendation Christ gives to the man, you see in ver. 10: "I have
not found so great faith, no, not in Israel." And (ver. 13,) he
grants him all that he asked, " Go thy way ; and as thou hast
believed, so be it done unto thee." The same we see in the
Syrophenician woman, Matth. xv. 27. The lowliness and
humility of her spirit made her to submit to all the repulses
she met with. When Christ calls her a dog, she takes with it,
saying, " Truth, Lord," I am a dog, and shall be content if I
may but have a crumb, the dog's portion. And what follows
on this? " O woman, great is thy faith: be it unto thee even
as thou wilt." Thus, 1 say, Christ in the days of his flesh, dis-
covered the greatest regard to the humble ; and he is the same
now in a state of exaltation that he was in a state of humilia-
tion.

When God gives the grace of humiliation, it is a sign that
he intends more grace for that soul : 1 Pet. v. 5. He giveth
grace to the humble. You know men use to lay up their richest
wines in their lowest cellars ; so God lays up the richest trea-
sures of his grace in the heart of the humble and lowly. And
hence it comes, that the humble Christian is ordinarily the
most thriving and growing Christian. The humble valleys
laugh with fatness, when the high mountains are barren ; so
the humble Christian is made fat with the influences of Hea-
ven, when lofty towering professors are, like the mountains of
Gilboa, withered and dry, because the dew and rain of the
graces and influences of the Spirit are suspended from them.

3. Honour, exaltation, and preferment is intended for the
humble soul : " Before honour is humility," says Solomon. Psal.
cxiii. 7, 8 : " He raiseth up the poor out of the dust, and lifteth
the needy out of the dunghill ; that he may set him with princes,
even with the princes of his people." They shall be as it were
his ministers of state, that shall attend his throne, and have
place among them that stand by.

4. God's eyes are upon the humble. Indeed, the eye of his
omniscience beholds all the children of men; but his counte-
nance beholds the humble and upright soul: Is. Ixvi. 1, 2:
" Thus saith the Lord, the heaven is my throne, and the earth
is my footstool : where is the house that ye build unto me ? and
where is the place of my rest? for all those things hath mine
hand made, and all those things have been, saith the Lord :
but to this man will I look, even to him that is poor, and of
a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word." The humble
soul is the object of his peculiar love and care : " The eyes of
the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show
himself strong in their behalf."

168 THE HUMBLE SOUL [sER.

5. Not only God's eye, but bis ear is toward tbe lowly soul:
Psal. x. 17. "Lord, thou hast heard the desire of the humble:
thou wilt prepare their heart, thou wilt cause thine ear to
hear." Would you have preparation for a communion-table?
Would you be brought to God's seat, and have a hearing
there 1 Then come with lowliness and humility of soul.

6. The great Jehovah, the infinite God, dwells in and with
the humble: Is. lvii. 15: "Thus saith the high and lofty One
that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy, 1 dwell in the
high and holy place ; with him also that is of a contrite and
humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive
the heart of the contrite ones." God has a two-fold palace
where he dwells ; the one is in heaven, the other is in the
heart of the humble Christian. He says of the humble soul,
as he said of Zion, "This is my rest for ever: here will I
dwell, for I have desired it." And for what end will he dwell
in the heart of the humble 1 It is to revive and comfort them.
The new wine of the consolations of God, which are not small,
shall be poured into the heart of the lowly soul. He will
"comfort them that mourn in Zion, he will give them the oil
of joy for mourning, and the garment of praise for the spirit
of heaviness."

7. As God dwells with the humble, so the humble shall
dwell with God in glory for ever: Matth. v. 3: "Blessed
arc the poor in spirit," (which is the same with the lowly
spirit,) " for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." They shall sit
not only at his by-table here below, but be admitted to sit down
at the high table of glory, and to eat and drink with Abra-
ham, Isaac, and Jacob, yea, with the King of glory himself.
It is the humble that surround the throne above, as you see,
Rev. iv ; they take their crowns off their heads, and cast them
down before the Lamb, saying, " Thou art worthy, O Lord,
to receive glory, and honour, and power." Thus, you see that
the humble soul is the peculiar favourite of the high God.

III. The third thing in the method was, to inquire zchy God
has such a respect to the lowly.

Ans. 1. God has such a respect to the lowly, not as if
this frame of soul were meritorious of any good at his hand,
but because this is a disposition that best serves God's great
design of lifting up and glorifying his free grace. What think
you, sirs, was God's design in election, in redemption, in the
whole of a gospel-dispensation, and in all the ordinances of it 1
His grand design in all was to rear up a glorious high throne,
from which he might display the riches of his free and sove-
reign grace : this is that which he will have magnified
through eternity above all his other name. Now, this lowli-
ness and humility of spirit best suits God's design of exalting

VII.] THE PECULIAR FAVOURITE OF HEAVEN. 169

the freedom of his grace. It is not the legalist, or proud
Pharisee, but the poor humble publican who is smiting on his
breast, and crying, " God be merciful to me a sinner," that
submits to the revelation of grace. And truly I never think
a man truly humbled till he be brought so far off bis law-bot-
tom, on wbich he stands by nature, as to lie down like a worm
at the feet of sovereign grace, heartily content to be indebted to
free grace for life, righteousness, pardon, and salvation.

2. God has such respect to the humble soul because it is
a fruit of his own Spirit inhabiting the soul, and an evidence
of the soul's union with the Lord Jesus Christ, in whom alone
we are accepted.

3. This is a disposition that makes the soul like Christ; and
the more a person resembles Christ, the more God loves him.
We are told, that Christ was meek a?id lozvly ; he did not cry,
nor lift up, nor cause his voice to be heard in the streets : though
he was the brightness of his Father's glory, yet he was content
to appear in the form of a servant ; though he zoas rich, yet he
was content to become poor, that zee through his poverty mis;ht
be rich. Now, the humble soul, being the image of Christ,
who is the express image of his Father, God cannot but have
a regard to him.

IV. The fourth thing in the method was, to lay before you
some marks by which you might try, whether you be among the
humble and lozvly, to whom God has such a regard. You have
especial need to try this now, when you are to make a so-
lemn approach to God at his table. " Let a man examine
himself, and so let him eat." If you want this lowly frame
of spirit, you cannot be welcome guests at the supper of the
great King.

Now, for your trial, I shall suggest these things following.

1. The lowly soul is one that is many times ashamed to
look up to heaven under a sense of his own vileness and un-
worthiness; as we see in the poor publican, and in David,
Psal. xl. 12: "Innumerable evils have compassed me about,
mine iniquities have taken hold upon me, so that I am not able
to look up : they are more than the hairs of mine head, there-
fore my heart faileth me." Indeed, when by faith he looks
to his cautioner, and his everlasting righteousness, his media-
lion and intercession, he has boldness to enter into the holy of
holies, and can come with boldness to the throne of grace : I
say, when he looks to Christ, he Is not ashamed, Psal. xxxiv. 5.
But when he looks to himself, as he is in himself, he is even
" ashamed and confounded " before the Lord, and ready to cry
out with the prophet, Is. vi. 5 : " Wo is me, for 1 am undone,
because I am a man of unclean lips : " how shall I speak unto
the King, the Lord of hosts ? or how shall I appear before him 1

VOL. i. 15

170 THE HUMBLE SOUL [SER.

2. He is one that is many times put to wonder that God
has not destroyed him. He wonders that God has kept him
out of hell so long, or that he has not let loose his hand, and
made an utter end of him : and therefore he is much in adoring
mercy, and long-suffering patience, with the church, Lam. iii.
22: "It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed,
because his compassions fail not."

3. He is one that is most abased under the receipt of the
greatest mercies and sweetest manifestations. We see this in
the instance of David ; when God promised to build him a
sure house, and gave him a promise of the Messiah to spring
of his loins, the man is not lifted up, but, on the contrary, is filled
with wonder that God should stoop so far toward the like of
him : " Who am I," says he, " that thou hast brought me
hitherto?" The nearer that the humble soul is admitted to
God, the higher that he is lifted up the mount of enjoy-
ments, he falls lower and lower in his own esteem. When
Abraham was admitted to plead with God on the behalf of
Sodom, Gen. xviii. how does he sink into nothing in his own
eyes? "Behold, now, I have taken upon me to speak unto
the Lord, who am but dust and ashes."

4. He is one that renounces the law as a covenant, and dis-
claims all pretensions to righteousness from that quarter: "I
through the law, am dead to the law, that 1 might live unto
God." O, says the man, when he looks upon the law of God
in its spirituality and extent, what can I expect from that
quarter but wrath and ruin? yea, I am condemned already
by the law ; and if God mark iniquity, according to the tenor
of it, 1 am undone for ever: Psal. cxxx. 3: "If thou, Lord,
shouldst mark iniquities; O Lord, who shall stand?" So,
then, try yourselves by this : Has a discovery of the law of
God, in its spirituality, made you to own and acknowledge
that all your own righteousness is but asJiUhy rags, dung and
loss ?

5. He is one that has high, raised, and admiring thoughts
of Christ, and of his law-biding righteousness. As for the
person of Christ, O how the humble soul admires that : the
lower he falls in his own esteem, the higher does Christ rise
in his esteem. In Psal. lxxiii. David is laid so low in his own
eyes, that he cries, (ver. 22,) " So foolish was I, and ignorant:
I was as a beast before thee." Well, while it is thus with
him, what are his thoughts of Christ? See it, ver. 25, 26:
" Whom have I in heaven but thee? and there is none upon
earth that I desire besides thee. My flesh and my heart faileth :
but God is the strength of my heart, and my portion for ever."
And as for the righteousness of Christ, O how does his soul
admire that, and clasp about it ! O, says he, I have no works,

VII.] THE PECULIAR FAVOURITE OF HEAVEff. 171

no righteousness of mine own, to commend me to God, or
with whom to stand before him : but he is " the Lord my
righteousness; and I will go on in his strength, making men-
tion of his righteousness, even of his only."

I might give you several other marks of this lowliness of
soul. I shall only name these two or three farther. As,

1. He is one that looks on sin as his greatest burden, say-
ing, with David, "Mine iniquities are gone over mine head;
as a heavy burden they are too heavy for me." And par-
ticularly indwelling corruption, the fountain of sin ; O how
does he mourn and groan under that, saying, with Paul, Rom.
vii. 24 : " Wretched man that I am, who shall deliver me
from the body of this death ! "

2. He is one that values himself least, when others value
him most. O, says he, others see only my outside ; but if
they saw the swarms of abominations, that I see and feel in
my own heart, I would be a terror to them. When the multi-
tude is crying, " Hosanna to the Son of David, he is riding,
meek and lowly, upon an ass, and upon a colt, the foal of an
ass."

3. He is one that is not puffed up with the falls of others,
like some, 1 Cor. v. 2; but rather the falls of others, contri-
bute to humble and empty him the more of himself. He sees,
from the out-breakings of [sin in] others, what is in his own
heart, how much he is obliged to God for restraining grace: for
if the bridle were but laid on my neck, will the humble soul
say, I would be soon carried into the same excess of riot with
others.

4. The humble soul is one that is thankful for little ; he
will not despise the day of small things : like the woman of
Canaan, he is content with the crumbs that fall from the chil-
dren's table. The humble soul is content with a bare word
from the Lord. O, says David, " God hath spoken in his
holiness, I will rejoice." He thinks much of a single word
from the Lord's mouth, and waits for it, as the servants of
Benhadad, that catched at every word that dropped from the
mouth of the King of Israel.

5. The humble soul is content and desirous to know wrhat
is God's will, that he may do it. Paul is no sooner humbled,
but he cries, " Lord, what wilt thou have me to do 1 " Give
grace to obey, and command what thou wilt.

V. The fifth thing in the method was, to offer some motives
to press and recommend this londiness and humility of spirit.

My first motive shall be drawn from the excellency of the
grace of humility ; and its excellency especially appears in
two things: —

172 THE HUMBLE SOUL [SER.

1. It assimilates the soul to Christ. Men are inclined to
imitate the example of the great ones of the earth ; but here
is the most noble pattern that ever was, even an incarnate
Deity, saying, " Learn of me ; for I am meek and lowly."

2. It is the distinguishing character of a Christian. The
people of God are ordinarily called the humble and meek of
the earth. A proud Christian is a contradiction; for pride is
just an antipode to true religion. O what a difference did it
put between the Pharisee and the publican ! The proud Pha-
risee brags to God, as it were, of his good works ; " God, I
thank thee, that I am not as other men are, or even as this
publican. I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that
I possess." But the poor publican stands afar off, as if the
Majesty of Heaven were about to strike him dead; and yet
the publican goes home to his house justified, while the other
is rejected.

Mot. 2d, Consider how reasonable this lowliness and humi-
lity of soul is. Whatever way we view ourselves, we shall
find it highly reasonable. It is highly reasonable, whether
we look to ourselves in particular, or the evils of the land
and day in which we live.

1. I say, take a view of thyself, man, woman, and thou
shalt find ground of humiliation. For,

1st, Thou art a creature sprung of earth, whose " founda-
tion is in the dust," and cannot pretend to a higher extract
than the very earth under thy feet. Hence is the exhorta-
tion of the prophet Jeremiah, " O earth, earth, earth, hear
the word of the Lord." Earth in thy original, earth as to
the supports of nature, and shall return unto the earth in the
end.

2dly, Thou art not only a creature, but a frail creature
whose breath is in thy nostrils. Thou standest continually
upon the brink of an endless eternity. And as there have
but a few years passed over our heads since we arose out of
the dust ; so, ere it be long, death will sweep us off the stage;
and then all our beauty, strength, stature, and other bodily
excellencies, will be covered with rottenness. In Is. xl. 6 — 8,
you see it is the cry both of heaven and earth, that all flesh
is grass. Solomon, giving a description of the life of man,
sums it all up in two short words: "There is a time to be
born, and a time to die." He leaps over the intermediate
distance between man's birth and his burial, as a thing that
was not worthy of his notice. He is born, and then he dies.
The moment of time between the womb and the tomb is so
short, might he say, that it does not deserve to be named.

3dly, Thou art not only a frail, but a sinful creature, whol-
ly overrun with that loathsome leprosy, " from the crown of

VII.] THE PECULIAR FAVOURITE OF HEAVEN". 173

the head to the sole of the foot." O sirs, what reason have
we to be humble, who have defaced the image of God, cast
dirt on all the divine attributes, trampled his law and autho-
rity under our feet. The sinner has swallowed a cup of dead-
ly poison, which will infallibly destroy him, if infinite mercy
and free grace prevent not. What ground has he then to be
proud ? 6, says the prodigal, " I have sinned against heaven,
and therefore am no more worthy to' be called thy son," or to
have the room of a hired servant in the family.

Ithhj, Thou art not only a sinful creature, but an impotent
creature, that can do nothing in order to thy own help and
relief. H God had not " laid help upon one that is mighty,"
we had been all of us this clay sinking under the fiery moun-
tains of eternal vengeance and wrath. Such an impotent
creature is sinful man, that, as to natural things, he cannot
make one hair of his head white or black, or add one cubit
to his stature. And so helpless is he, as to spiritual and eter-
nal concerns, that he can no more change the wicked habits
of his heart, or the wicked ways of his life, than the Ethiopian
can change his colour, or the leopard his spots.

5lhly, Thou art a variable, changeable, and inconstant
creature; liable to many alterations, both as to thy outward
lot, and thy inward frame. The man that is in greatest
esteem to-day, may have his reputation ruined by the enve-
nomed tongue of calumny to-morrow. In a word, thy health
may soon be changed into sickness, thy riches into poverty,
thy strength into weakness, thy beauty into ugly deformity.
And as for thee, believer, though thy stale be firm like the
mountains, yet thy frame is but a changeable thing. Perhaps
thou mayest be saying with David one day, " By thy favour
my mountain stands strong ;" and the next day crying out,
" I am troubled with the hiding of his countenance." Al-
though, perhaps, the candle of the Lord may be shining on
thy tabernacle, yet in a little thou mayest be going " mourn-
ing without, the sun."

2. This lowly frame of spirit is highly reasonable, if we
look abroad in the world, and particularly the land in
which we live. O what great cause of deep humiliation have
we this day before the Lord, when we take a view of the
abounding profanity of our day! All ranks have "corrupted
their way ;" a flood of atheism and wickedness, Jordan like,
lias broken down all its banks. Have we not reason to be
humbled for the universal barrenness that is to be found
amongst us, under the drops of the glorious gospel 1 May not
the Lord say to us, as he said of his vineyard, Is. v. " I plant-
ed thee in a fruitful soil ;" I took all imaginable pains upon
thee, by ordinances, by the rod, by mercies and crosses ; yet,

15*

174 THE HUMBLE SOUL [.SER.

after all, " when I looked that they should bring forth grapes,
behold, they brought forth wild grapes?" Again; have we
not reason to be humbled for the lamentable divisions that
are to be found among us ? " Ephraim against Manasseh, Ma-
nasseh against Ephraim, and both they together against Is-
rael." Because of the divisions of Reuben, there are great
thoughts of heart. Church and state are divided. And, among
other divisions that have been of late, we are like to have a
new division in point of doctrine.

There is a handful of ministers, who have lately put in a
petition to our National Assembly, in favour of some of the
pure and precious truths of the gospel, which they conceive
to be injured by an act of Assembly. There is a mighty cry
raised against them, both in pulpits and in common conversa-
tion, as if they were the troublers of Israel, New-schemers, An-
tinomians, and what not. Many strange errors are fathered
upon them, of which they never once thought. I shall be
far from bringing a railing accusation against them who study
to wound their reputation, and to mar the success of their
ministry : for I look on many of them as great and good men.
But if they be helped to bear reproach for the name of Christ,
and for the cause of his truths, with humility and lowliness of
mind, the Lord in his own time will find out a way to bring
them forth to the light, so as they shall behold his righteous-
ness. And although their reputation should sink for ever in
the world, under the load of calumny that is cast upon them,
I hope they think it but a small sacrifice for the least truth
of God, which is of more worth than heaven and earth. How-
ever, 1 say, this, among other things, is ground and cause of
humiliation in our day, that any of the precious truths of
Christ should be under a cloud, and that we should be divided
in our sentiments respecting them. Have we not reason to
be deeply humbled for our woful defections and backslidings,
which are the ground of our divisions? We are departed
from the Lord, and the Lord is in a great measure departed
from us. What a woful withering wind has blown upon
God's vineyard in the land ! We are " fallen from our first
love," our former zeal for God and his precious truths, and
the royalties of our Redeemer's crown. And is there not a
lamentable decay as to the power and life of godliness, which
has dwindled away into an empty form with the most? To
conclude, it is not with the nobles, gentry, ministers, or peo-
ple, in Scotland, as once it has been ; and the worst of it is,
that though it be so, though gray hairs are here and there
upon us, yet we do not perceive it : we " make our faces hard-
er than a rock, and refuse to return" to the Lord. But I haste
to a close.

VII.] THE PECULIAR FAVOURITE OF HEAVEN. 175

Mot. 3d, Take a view of the noble patterns of humility
that are set before us for our imitation. The saints militant
are patterns of it. Abraham, the father of the faithful, in
the forecited xviiith of Genesis, with what humility does he
address himself to God ! " Behold, I have taken upon me
to speak unto the Lord, who am but dust and ashes." And
his grandson, Jacob, follows his footsteps herein, " I am less,"
says he, " than the least of thy mercies." In a word, Job,
David, Isaiah, Paul, and all the " cloud of witnesses," have
cast us a copy of humility. Again ; the saints triumphant
cast us a copy of this grace : they take their crowns off' their
heads, and cast them down at the Mediator's feet, ascribing
the glory of all to him, saying, " Unto him that loved us, and
washed us from our sins in his own blood, and hath made us
kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory
and dominion for ever and ever. Amen." Again ; angels
are patterns of it: they do not look on it as a disparagement
to be ministering spirits to the heirs of glory. With what
humility do they cover their faces with their wings in the
presence" of God! Is. vi. Again; Christ is a blessed pattern
of this grace : " Learn of me, for 1 am meek and lowly :" he
has left us an example, that ue should follozc his steps therein.
" He humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even
the death of the cross." Though he was the high God, yet
he " took upon him the form of a servant." And therefore
"let the same mind be in us, which was also in Christ Jesus,"
Phil. ii. 5. In a word, the infinite Jehovah, the eternal God,
casts us a copy of humility : for " he humbleth himself to be-
hold the things that are in heaven, and in the earth ;" and, as
you see in my text, though he he high, yet has he respect imlo
the lowly. And are not all these patterns worthy of our high-
est imitation? And if all this will not prevail, I oilier,

A fourth motive, Consider the evil and danger of the sin of
pride, that lies directly opposite to it.

1. It is loathsome in the sight of God ; he cannot endure
to look on it; he beholds it afar off. In Prov. vi. 16, it is
set in the very front of these things that the Lord hates:
" These six things doth the Lord hate; yea, seven are an
abomination to him:" and the first of them is a proud look.
God hates every sin, but he proclaims open war and hostility
against the proud.

- 2. The evil of it appears, in that it is a sign of a rotten
heart within : Hab. ii. 4 : "Behold, his soul which is lifted up
is not upright in him." As humility and sincerity, so pride
and hypocrisy go hand in hand.

3. It is the fertile womb of many other evils. It is the
spring of division: Prov. xiii. 10 : " Only by pride comelh con-

176 THE HUMBLE SOUL [SER.

tention." As I was saying just now, there are a great many
divisions amongst us at this day. Church and state are divided,
congregations and families are divided, ministers and people
are divided : What is the matter 1 Pride lies at the bottom.
If our proud hearts were but so far humbled, as to confess
our faults one to another, our divisions would soon come to an
end. Again ; pride is the mother of error and heresy : a
root of bitterness that is troubling our Israel at this day.
When men, especially clergymen, who have all a conceit of
infallibility with them, have asserted any thing that is amiss in
point of doctrine, their pride will not allow them to retract.
Truth itself must rather fall a sacrifice, than their reputation
sink. Pride of reason is the very soul of the Socinian, and
pride of will the soul of Arminian errors, and pride of self-
righteousness is the source of that legal spirit which so much
prevails in our day. Again ; pride is the spring and root of
apostacy; for, says Solomon, "Pride gocth before destruction,
and a haughty spirit before a fall." Peter's pride was the im-
mediate forerunner of his denying his Lord and Master.
But, again, consider that God has a particular quarrel with
the sin of pride : he has threatened to " scatter the proud, in
the imagination of their own hearts." You may read a lec-
ture of God's controversy with the proud, Is. ii. Jl — 13, &c.
" The lofty looks of man shall be humbled, and the haughti-
ness of men shall be bowed down. — The day of the Lord of
hosts shall be upon every one that is proud and lofty, and
upon everyone that is lifted up, and he shall be brought low."
And, ver. 17: The loftiness of man shall be bowed down,
and the haughtiness of men shall be made low; and the Lord
alone shall be exalted in that day." O what ruin has the
sin of pride brought along with it !

Is/, It turned angels into devils, and threw them from hea-
ven into hell ; " being lifted up with pride, they fell into con-
demnation," as the apostle insinuates. God could not endure
pride to dwell so near him; and therefore he tumbled them
down from heaven, and laid them " under chains of eternal
darkness."

2dly. It was pride that has wrecked all mankind, when it
creeped out of the higher into the lower Paradise. " Ye shall
be as gods," said the serpent ; and immediately the bait was
catched at ; though, in the event, it made them more like the
devil than God.

Sdly, We might trace the story of what ruins it hath
brought with it upon the ungodly world. Pharaoh refuses to
bow so far to the command of God, as to let Israel go ; saying,
" Who is the Lord, that I should obey him:" And therefore
he and his host shall " sink like lead in the mighty waters.''

VII.] THE PECULIAR FAVOURITE OF HEAVEN. 177

Hainan's pride brought him to an ignominious end : though
he was his prince's greatest favourite to-day, yet he was
hanged to-morrow on the gallows which he had set up for poor
Mordecai. Nebuchadnezzar proudly vaunts himself of his
royal palace. " Is not this great Babylon that I have built
for the house of the kingdom, by the might of my power, and
for the honour of my majesty?" and immediately he is turned
out from the society of men, and made to eat grass with the
oxen. Herod, after his fine oration, receives that applause from
the people without any check, " It is the voice of a God, and
not of a man ; and immediately the angel of the Lord smites
him, and he is eaten of worms."

4thly, As God has punished it in the wicked, so he has
shown his resentment against it in his own children. And
pass who will, they shall not miss a stroke, if their hearts be
lifted up within them : " You only have I known of all the fa-
milies of the earth ; therefore I will punish you for all your
iniquities." David's pride prompted him to number Israel,
that he might make his boast that he was king over so many
thousands ; and thereupon a raging pestilence, in three days'
time, sweeps aw'ay seventy thousand of Israel. Hezekiah's
pride made him to show his treasure of precious tilings to the
king of Babylon's ambassadors; and therefore his posterity and
his treasures must be carried away to Babylon out of their
native land. In a word, though you were as the signet on
God's right hand, you shall not escape a stroke of fatherly
wrath and anger, if you allow pride to lodge in your hearts.
That threatening shall surely take place, both among friends
and enemies, PrOv. xxix. 23 : "A man's pride shall bring him
low." And if it miss his person, it shall fall heavily on his
family : Prov. xv. 25 : " The Lord will destroy the house of
the proud."

VI. The sixth and last thing I proposed was, to offer a few
advices, in order to your altai?iing this lowly frame and temper
of soul zvhich the high God doth so much regard.

1. Go to the law as a schoolmaster ; read the ten command-
ments, and Christ's spiritual commentary upon them, Matth. v.
View the law of God in its utmost extent and spirituality ; for
it is exceeding broad. This would make the proudest heart to
lie in the dust:"Rom. vii. 9: "I was alive without the law
once ; but when the commandment came, sin revived, and I
died." The feathers of his pride and legal righteousness soon
fell, when the law in its spirituality was set before his eyes.

2. Get Christ to dwell in your heart by faith ; for the reign-
ing power of this evil is never broken, till Christ come by the
power of his Spirit, bringing down the towering imaginations
of the heart, and erect his throne there. The more of Christ,

178 THE HUMBLE SOUL THE FAVOURITE OF HEAVEN. [sER. VII.

the more humility ; and the less of Christ, the more pride.
When the Spirit of Christ enters into the heart, he stamps the
likeness and image of Christ there. O then, if you would have
this humility and lowliness of spirit, " lift up the everlasting
doors, that the King of glory may come in :" he brings a glori-
ous retinue of graces with him, of which this is one of the first.

3. Be much [employed] in viewing the glorious perfections
of the Majesty of heaven, as they are displayed in the works
of creation and providence ; but especially as they shine in
the face of Jesus Christ, and the glorious work of redemption
through him. When the prophet Isaiah saw the Lord high
and lifted up, and his train filling the temple, he cries out,
" Wo is me, for I am undone, because I am a man of unclean
lips." See Job xlii. 5, 6. " I have heard of thee," says he,
"by the hearing of the ear; but now mine eye seeth thee:
wherefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes."

4. Be much in viewing " the rock whence ye were hewn, and
the hole of the pit whence ye were digged ; " I mean your
original corruption and depravation; how you are "conceived
in sin, and brought forth in iniquity." And O how much of
this cleaves even to believers themselves, while they are on this
side of eternity ! There is a law in the members continually
warring against the law of the mind. This laid the great apostle
Paul in the dust, notwithstanding his high attainments.

5. Be much in viewing the vanity of the creature, and all
things below. " Vanity and vexation of spirit " is written in
legible characters upon all things under the sun. " The fashion
of this world is passing away." Be much in viewing the bed
of the grave, where you must lie down shortly, and where
rottenness and corruption shall cover you : let this make you
say, with Job, "to corruption, Thou art my father; and to the
worm, Thou art my mother, and my sister." View an awful
tribunal, and endless eternity, that is to follow on the back of
death, where you and I shortly shall stand panels and receive
a sentence from the righteous Judge, which shall determine
our state for ever.

6. Lastly, Be much in eyeing those patterns of lowliness and
humility which I already mentioned. God, angels, and saints,
have cast you a copy of it. But especially be much in viewing
the humility and humiliation of the Son of G*od, which is pro-
posed as the great pattern, Phil. ii. 5 — 8: " Let this mind be in
you which was also in Christ Jesus : who being in the form of
God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God : but made
himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a
servant, and was made in the likeness of men: and being
found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became
obedient unto death, even the death of the cross."

179

SERMON VIII.

THE NECESSITY AND PROFITABLENESS OF GOOD WORKS
ASSERTED.*

Having-, therefore, these promises, clearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves
from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting' holiness in the fear of
God.— 2 Cor. vii. 1.

Blessed are they that do his commandments, that fhey may have right to the
tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city. — Rev.
xxii. 14.

If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of
God, or whether I speak of myself. — John vii. 17.

PREFACE.

The following discourse is one of those for which I am become a
debtor to the public, on the occasion mentioned in the preface of that
upon Rev. iii. 4. Although I am abundantly sensible of my lame ma-
nagement of this important subject; yet I am not conscious of swerving,
in any one point of doctrine, from the word of God, and the approved
standards of this church : and, if in the least jot I have departed from
them, either in this or any other of these sermons charged with hetero-
doxy, I am so far from pretending to infallibility, that I hope I shall
never be ashamed publicly to retract what, upon conviction, shall be
found to be amiss.

I look upon it as one of the most difficult things that belongs to us
ministers, in the dispensation of the everlasting gospel, so to divide the
word of truth, as to deliver it in the order and connexion in which God
has laid it in the new covenant. Indistinct views here cannot miss to
lead both ourselves and hearers into a maze and labyrinth of confusion,
and exceedingly mar the sweetness of divine truth, with the success of
the gospel. Every truth of God, even in itself, and abstractly consi-
dered, is precious; but the beauty, lustre, and sweetness of divine truth
is never seen or felt, until the truth be known " as it is in Jesus." All
the truths of divine revelation meet in him, as the beams in the sun, or
as the spokes of a wheel in their centre; insomuch, that, if any truth of
God be handled, or any duty of the law inculcated, abstractly from him,
it is taken out of its proper place where God has set it, and, consequent-
ly, cannot miss to lose its savour and beauty: and, therefore, it was not
without ground the apostle expressed himself, as we have it, 1 Cor. ii.
2: " I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ,
and him crucified." He is the glorious " foundation laid in Zion," and
" another foundation can no man lay ;" and if, in building, we do not
keep our eyes continually on this chief corner stone, we cannot shun to
make very confused and irregular work. In a particular manner, when

* Preached at Kirkaldy April 12, 1724.

180 THE NECESSITY AND PROFITABLENESS [SER.

we inculcate good works upon our hearers, if we do not lead them, in
the first place, to work that great work of God, namely, to " believe on
him whom he hath sent," we do but press them to build castles in the
air, which fall down as fast as they are reared up. All our works will
be found to be but empty ciphers in the day of the Lord, if this founda-
tion be not first laid. The root on which they grow, namely, that of thg
old Adam, being rottenness, the blossom cannot miss to go up as the
dust.

It is the ruin of thousands in the visible church, that whenever the
law of God has pricked or wounded their hearts, and brought them un-
der any concern for salvation ; that, being " married to the law," as a
" husband," they run to it for relief. Hence it is the ordinary dialect
of awakened sinners, before the revelation of the remedy, " What shall
we do !" or, "What good thing shall we do to inherit eternal life I"
And, accordingly, they fall to doing and working; and there they rest;
by which means, these very duties, which should lead them to# Christ,
prove a bar and hinderance of their coming to him. But, since the fall
of Adam, the law was never given to man with a design that he should
rest or stay in it, but, that man, by the law, might be carried forth to
him, who is " the end of the law for righteousness to every one that be-
lieveth." I own, that they who rest in the law and its works, may find
some sort of peace and ease for awhile ; but true, solid, and lasting peace,
can never be found on this side of Christ.

We do not read of any plaster that the stung Israelites were to make
use of for their healing, but only looking to the brazen serpent. If they
had made a confection of the best herbs in the wilderness, or a plaster
of all the sovereign ingredients in the world, and witli it heaped up
mountains of prayers, or poured out seas of tears, all would not have
helped, if they had not looked to the brazen serpent. God had ap-
pointed that as the only way of relief ; and, therefore, nothing else could
perform the cure. So, here, God hath set up his Christ,' as the only way
of life; he hath lifted him up upon the pole of the gospel, "that who-
soever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life."
And though we should spend our whole time and strength, in praying,
mourning, and other acts of obedience, all would be of no avail, unless
we made use of God's remedy, in a way of believing, and that is, " Look
unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth." Isaiah xlv. 22.

But, say you, by this means we may lay aside praying, reading, hear-
ing, and other duties of obedience, altogether. I answer, By no means.
1 do not advise you to leave off duties, but only as a plaster for healing
your wounds, or as a ground of acceptance. Duties, indeed, are subser-
vient to the cure, but they themselves are not the cure. For instance,
prayer is a seeking of the cure, but not the cure itself: in reading and
hearing, we are directed how to come at the cure, but these are not the
cure. We would reckon it a piece of prodigious folly, for one in distress
to reckon himself healed, merely upon his seeking and getting a physi-
cian's advice, though he never apply the remedy prescribed. By our
works of obedience, before conversion, like the man lying at the pool,
we only study to have a deportment suitable to those who wait for divine
mercy ; and by our obedience, after conversion, we only express our
gratitude for the cure, which he, in his sovereign grace has wrought,
by the Spirit's application of the blood of Jesus: but still these works of
obedience, whether before or after conversion, are not the cure. It is a
known maxim among sound divines, That, being justified, we work, but
we do not work that we may be justified. So, then, let us never put our
duties in the room of Christ. The man that rests in any thing on this
side of Christ, will at last rest on this side of heaven. All our duties

VIII.] OF GOOD. WORKS ASSERTED. 181

and works of obedience will be but as ropes of sand, or chains of glass,
too brittle to draw our souls up to glory.

It is very observable, that the order and connexion betwixt duty and
privilege is quite inverted in the covenant of grace, from what it was
under Adam's covenant. In the last of these, duly was the foundation
of privilege; but, in the first, namely, the new covenant, privilege re-
ceived by faith is the foundation of duty. In Adam's covenant, man was
first to do his duty; and on that ground, in a way of pactional debt, he
might expect and plead the reward of life. But now, man having for-
feited life by the breacli of that covenant, God will have him to take life
as a free gift through Christ; and thus to set his seal to his record,
" that he hath given to us eternal life, in his Son Jesus Christ;" and
thereupon, as a fruit and evidence of life received, he will have us per-
form the duties of his law.

It is pleasant to observe, that, when God published the law at Mount
Sinai, he ushered it in with the great new covenant grant, " I am the
Lord thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of
the house of bondage." Here is the object and foundation of their faith ;
and upon this he founds their obedience to the precepts of the moral law.
"Thou shalt have no other gods before me. Thou shalt not make unto
thee any graven image. Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy
God in vaiu. Remember the Sabbatli day to keep it holy," &c. If the
commandments of the moral law had been set first, and God had said,
" Do these things, and I will be your God;" this had been a pure cove-
nant of works, indeed. But, first, he reveals himself as their God in
Christ, a reconciled God and Redeemer; and, upon this footing, presses
obedience to his commandments. So that, I say, the order of doctrine
laid in the dispensation of the gospel, is first to lead the sinner by faith
to Christ, and to God in him; and upon this to inculcate obedience to
the law as a rule of duty. This order of doctrine I find nicely observed
by the Westminster Assembly, in compiling our excellent Confession of
Faith and Catechisms; where they tell us first what we are to believe,
and then the duties which God requires of man The same method we
find the apostle Paul observes in most of his epistles. So that this is no
new scheme, but the good old way. And if this order of doctrine be in-
verted, we disturb the comely order which infinite wisdom has laid in
the dispensation of the new covenant, and infallibly return back to an
old covenant of works.

This is the order I have aimed at in the following discourse: whether
I have hit it right, or not, I leave it to others to judge. I do freely own
that, ever since I knew any thing of Christianity, I never found greater
difficulty in any thing, than to brin? my heart to fall in with this order
of the new covenant. And even after the soul, as to the main, is brought
to acquiesce in this new method of salvation; yet there is so much of
the old Adam, I mean of a legal spirt, in us, as is still leading us insen-
sibly back to Adam's covenant, namely, to expect mercy, grace, and
glory, on the score of something wrought in us, or done by us. And our
words, who are ministers, do many times betray the legality of our
hearts: which I speak in a way of regret, from my own sad experience,
not in a way of reflection upon others. And I make no doubt, but such
as have a true taste of the gospel, may find something of this in the fol-
lowing discourse, though I have endeavoured to shun it as much as I
could.

If; by the publication of these imperfect scraps, any shall be provoked
to handle this, or any of the other subjects, with more accuracy, which
may be easily done, I shall heartily rejoice. And if either the church of
God, or any particular soul, shall be edified by reading this, or any other

VOL. I. 16

182 THE NECESSITY AND PROFITABLENESS [sER.

of the quarrelled sermons, he owes no thanks to me, but only to that
God, who, by his overruling providence, " makes the wrath of man to
praise him :" and, for my own part, I desire to believe, " that the re-
mainder of his wrath he will restrain."

PORTMOAK, } E. E.

June 6, 1726.

This is a faithful saying, and these thing's I will that thou affirm constantly,
that they which have believed in God, might be careful to maintain good
works : these things are good and profitable unto men. — Tit. hi. 8.

The apostle having, in the preceding part of this chapter,
particularly from the 4th verse, and downwards, given a brief
summary or epitome of the doctrine of the gospel, and of the
free grace of God towards sinners, through the imputed right-
eousness of our Lord Jesus Christ ; he proceeds, in this 8th
verse, to shut up the whole with a serious advice unto Titus,
what use to make of the doctrine of grace among his hearers ;
namely, upon that footing, to urge them to the study of prac-
tical godliness as great gain: This is a faithful saying, and these
things I will that thou affirm constantly, &c.

Where these things are worthy of consideration.

1. We have the apostle's epilogue, or conclusion, with whkh
he shuts up that grave and weighty subject, which he had
been treating in the preceding verses, This is a faithful saying.
Some, indeed, understand this as a preface to what follows;
but I find the generality of interpreters rather connect the
asseveration with what went before, and particularly with
what the apostle had asserted in the verse immediately pre-
ceding; to wit, " That being justified by his grace, we should
be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life;" and
then immediately adds, This is a faithful saying. The apostle
foresaw, by the spirit of prophecy, that the doctrine of grace
would meet with strange opposition in after ages of the world;
and that opposition was already begun in his own day, as
appears from his epistle to the Galatians; and therefore ratifies
it with the greater solemnity, This is a faithful saying. From
whence I observe, by the by, That as ministers of Christ are
to declare the whole counsel of God, so there are some truths
that need to be more vouched and dwelt upon than others ;
particularly truths that are more fundamental, and most con-
troverted by gainsayers. Hence we find, there is sometimes
an oyez, or a watchword, added to some truths, requiring
our more diligent attention, and serious entertainment. Thus
the apostle here, considering the opposition the doctrine of
grace would meet with from men of legal spirits, adds this

VIII.] OF GOOD WORKS ASSERTED. 183

word of attention to the close of it, This is a faithful saying.
Ministers are watchmen, and set for the defence of the truth ;
and therefore, when any truth of God is in danger, they are
to double their guard, and to support these truths that are
most attacked by the enemy, that so they may not " fall in
the streets." And if it be the duty of ministers to teach, in-
culcate, and support those truths that are controverted or con-
tradicted ; surely it is also the duty of people to study these
truths, and the arguments that support them, that so they
may be in a capacity to distinguish between truth and error,
and " to give a reason of the " faith and " hope that is in
them." The Bereans have a high commendation given them ;
they are called men of noble and excellent spirits, on this ac-
count, that they would not swallow down, by an implicit faith,
the doctrines taught even by the apostles themselves : no, but
they tried even the apostolic doctrine by the standard of the
law and testimony. And this is a thing not only command-
ed and commended in the scriptures of truth, but most agree-
able, likewise, to the dictates of right reason. How is it pos-
sible that people can obey the command of " contending for
the faith once delivered unto the saints," if they do not under-
stand the doctrine of faith, particularly these doctrines that
are in danger of being wrested from them? Ministers are
called " stewards in the house of God, and stewards of the
mysteries of God." Now, you know it is very much the
interest of the house or family, to see that their steward feed
them with sound and wholesome food, otherwise they may
come to swallow a stone instead of bread, or a scorpion in-
stead of a fish. We call you to examine and try our doc-
trines at the bar of the word; and if they will not abide the
trial there, let them sink and perish for ever. There is always
ground to suspect any set of men who decline or shun any
fair trial of their doctrines ; for " he that doth truth, cometh
to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they
are wrought in God." But,

2. In the words we have an apostolic command given to Ti-
tus, and in him to all ministers of the gospel : These things I
will that thou affirm constantly. The word in the original
rendered affirm, is borrowed from the practice of those who,
when they buy or sell a thing, oblige themselves to maintain
the claim and title against all law-suits or entanglements. —
Titus, and other ministers, are not only to teach the doctrines
of the gospel, but to confirm and make them good against all
the cavils or questions that may be moved about them.

3. In the words we have a particular doctrine which the
apostle recommends to be taught by Titus, namely; "That
they who have believed in God, should be careful to main-

184 THE NECESSITY AND PROFITABLENESS [sEK.

tain good works." Where notice the foundation of all good
works, and that is believing in God ; to wit, in God as he is
manifested in Christ, "God reconciling the world to himself;"
for out of Christ he cannot be the object of faith, but of ter-
ror, to a guilty sinner. Now, this believing in God is the
very foundation of all good works: for "without faith it is
impossible to please God:" and they that have believed, are
enjoined to maintain good works. The word in the original
is borrowed from the military, particularly such as set them-
selves at the front of the battle, and march forward to encou-
rage the whole army to follow them. " Believers," would
the apostle say, " must not only do good works, but must be
patterns and examples thereof to others ;" according to that
injunction of Christ ; " Let your light so shine before men, that
they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which
is in heaven." But the import of this you may meet with
more fully afterwards.

4. We have a very cogent and weighty reason why belie-
vers are to maintain good works ; why, says he, " These things
are good and profitable unto men." The apostle, in the 5th
verse, had secluded good works from any causality or influ-
ence on our justification or eternal salvation : "Not by works
of righteousness, which we have done, but according to his
mercy, he saved us." Now lest any should allege, that, in
that case, good works were altogether useless, he adds this as
a caveat, and says, "Do not mistake it, for although your
good works be not profitable for justification, yet they are
good and profitable to men on many other accounts:" of which
we may hear likewise afterward.

The doctrine I notice from the words is this : —
Dogt. " That as faith, or believing, is the source of good
works; so these good works, which are the fruit of believing,
are good and profitable to men." Or, take it thus: "That
they who have truly believed, are to be careful to maintain
good works, these being good and profitable unto men." The
foundation of this doctrine from the words is obvious.

In speaking to it, I shall, through divine assistance, observe
the method following :

I. I would speak a little of those good works, which they
who have believed in God are called to maintain.

II. Of that believing in God, which is the'source and foun-
tain of good works.

III. Show that these good works, flowing from faith, are
" good and profitable unto men."

IV. Apply the whole.

VM1.] OF GOOD WORKS ASSERTED. 185

L I say, I would speak a Utile of good works. Where I
would show,

1, What works they are that may be called good works.

2. What is imported in maintaining good works.

First, What sort of works they are that may be called good
works. In general, then, you would know, that, considering
the law as a covenant, or an abstract rule of righteousness,
as contradistinct from the gospel, there are no works done by
men that can be called good works; for " there is none that
doth good" (in this respect,) "no not one: In many things we
offend all." The most blameless and perfect actions of the
most consummate believer that ever drew breath in God's air,
while in this state of sin and imperfection, cannot perform a
work legally good, because of the mixture of sin that attends
his best performances. And hence it is, that we find the saints
in scripture owning, that they could not stand, if God should
mark iniquity ; that all their righteousness is as* filthy rags;
that their goodness extendeth not to him. O sirs, if God should
" lay judgment to the line, and righteousness to the plummet,"
we,Vnd all our good works, would be for ever rejected, like
reprobate silver. And therefore we have little reason to think
or imagine, that God is a debtor to us for any thing we do,
or thatTour good works do procure the favour of God, his ac-
ceptance, or a title to life. But our works are called good
works, as having a respect to the law, considered as a rule of
duty, in the sweet hand of a Mediator. He makes his "yoke
easy, and his burden light," to his people, by accepting of
their weak efforts and endeavours, through his perfect obe-
dience and satisfaction, as good, though attended with mani-
fold imperfections. Now, to constitute an action good in an
evangelical sense, there are several things requisite: —

1. To make a work a good work, it must be done by a
good and holy person, renewed by the Spirit of Christ, and
justified by his merit. It is beyond all dispute and controversy,
that the person must first be accepted of God, and reconciled
to him in Christ, before the work can be accepted. Abel's
person was accepted of God, and then his offering. And
hence it is, that " the sacrifices of the wicked" are said to be
" an abomination to the Lord." The very " ploughing of the
wicked is sin." The matter is this : God is angry with their
persons, and he hates and loathes them while out of Christ;
and therefore nothing that comes from them, or that is done
by them, can be acceptable. And therefore, I say, to make
works good and acceptable to God, they must be done by a
person "that is in a gracious and reconciled state.

2. To make a work a good work, it must be a thing re-
quired and called for by the law of God. The reason of this

16*

186 THE NECESSITY AND PROFITABLENESS [SER.

is plain, because it is God's will that makes any thing sin or
duty; and ifit be not agreeable to his revealed will, he may
say unto us, " Who hath required this at your hand '!" Hence
Christ taxes the Pharisees, saying, " In vain do they worship
me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men." And
therefore, if you would do any work acceptable to God, you
must take care, that the thing you do be required and com-
manded of God. Indeed, there are some actions that are of
an indifferent nature; that is, God has left men at a perfect
liberty, whether to do them or not. But then it should be
remembered, that these actions, in the case of offence or edi-
fication, cease to be indifferent, and fall under some com-
mandment of the moral law. In which case Paul says, (1
Cor. viii. 13,) "If meat make my brother to offend, I will eat
no flesh while the world standeth." It was a thing indiffe-
rent, whether Paul did eat flesh or not ; but when offence was
like to follow his eating, he would abstain from it as much
as though it were expressly forbidden in the law of God, be-
cause, in that case, it became a breach of the law of love and
charity.

3. To make a work a good work, it must be done out of a
right principle. It must be done out of a principle of faith,
as was already hinted; for no work can be acceptable with-
out this, Heb. xi. 6. And there is a twofold faith requisite
in a good action. (1.) A general faith of persuasion, that the
thing we do may be done lawfully. And of this the apostle
speaks when he says, " Whatsoever is not of faith, is sin,"
Rom. xiv. 23. And, (2.) A particular justifying faith, be-
lieving the acceptance of what we do, only through the Lord
Jesus Christ, and his merit and mediation. Again ; a good
work must be done out of regard to the authority of God
commanding: and that not simply with a respect to the au-
thority of a God Creator; for thus a Heathen, or a Maho-
metan, may obey God, and do good actions; but out of a re-
spect to the authority of a God in Christ. We must eye
the authority of the Creator in our obedience, as coming in
this blessed channel, otherwise it is not a true Christian obe-
dience: for we Christians are " under the law to Christ;" and
when we are so, we are " not without law to God," seeing
God hath commanded us to "hear his voice," and to "obey
him," as our "Lord, King," and "Lawgiver." And "what-
soever we do in word or deed," we are to " do all in the name"
and authority " of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the glory of God
by him." And, farther, good works must be done with sim-
plicity and godly sincerity, avoiding hypocritical and Phari-
saical ostentation in the discharge of duty : for " his soul which
is lifted up, is not upright in him/' Hab. ii. 4.

VIII.] OF GOOD WORKS ASSERTED. 187

4. To make a work a good work, it must be done to a
right end. It must be done to the glory and honour of God,
this being the principal and ultimate end of our being, accord-
ing to that direction of the apostle, 1 Cor. x. 31 : " Whether
ye eat or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of
God." It must be done as a declaration of our gratitude to
God for redeeming love. We arc "bought with a price;"
therefore we are to " glorify him in our bodies and spirits,
which are his." They must be done, also, with a view to
the edification of others, Matth. v. 16. But these, and many
other things to this purpose, will fall in to be spoken to more
particularly, when we come to the fourth general head pro-
posed in the prosecution of the doctrine.

Secondly, 1 come to inquire what may be the import of that
phrase of being careful to maintain good works? To this I an-
swer briefly in the following particulars.

1. It implies a diligent attendance to the rule of the word ;
according to that of David, Psal. cxix. 9: "Wherewith shall
a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto ac-
cording to thy word." The man makes God's statutes " the
man of his counsel." And when he is called to this or that
piece of service, he takes advice of his counsellors, whether
he may do or forbear. They are "a lamp unto his {eei, and
a light unto his path." As Israel looked to the pillar of
cloud, and of fire, in all their motions and travels, for direc-
tion through the wilderness; so the gracious sou! looks to the
law or testimony in every step of his way towards the Canaan
that is above.

2. It implies an anxiety or solicitude of soul, to have his
actions managed and ordered according to that rule. It is
the very desire of his soul, to be found in the Lord's way; as
it was with David, Psal. cxix. 5: "O that my ways were di-
rected to keep thy statutes!" He desires not only to have his
outward walk, but the inward frame of his very soul, all the
thoughts of it, moulded in an agrecableness to the law of
God: Psal. cxix. 80: "Let my heart be sound in thy sta-
tutes ; that I be not ashamed." Such is his concern for
this, that he lays up the law of God in the very cabinet of
Lis heart, as an antidote against sin: Psal. cxix. 11: " Thy
word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against
thee."

3. It implies a holy watchfulness against all the tempta-
tions, motions, or occasions of sin, cither in thought, word, or
action. "I said, I will take heed to my ways," says David.
The man sets a watch over his heart, according to that com-
mand, "Keep thy heart with all diligence: for out of it are
the issues of life." He sets a watch over his eyes, and makes

188 THE NECESSITY AND PROFITABLENESS [SER.

a covenant with them ; and over his lips, lest sin should either
enter, or go forth by that door.

4. It implies an embracing of every opportunity for doing
good works that God puts into his hands, and improving the
same. When God puts the opportunity or talent in his
hand, he studies to lay it out for the Master's use, and his
own and others' profit and advantage; according to that di-
rection of Solomon, " Whatsoever thy hand findcth to do, do
it with thy might."

5. ,It implies a going on, or progress in the duties of obe-
dience, without returning back again to the old trade of sin.
The Christian is not like the "dog returning to his vomit,"
or "the sow that was washed to wallow in the mire;" no,
but " the righteous holdeth on his way ;" he " maintains good
works ;" he " waxes stronger and stronger ;" he " forgets the
things that are behind, and reacheth forth unto things that
are before."

6. The word here, as I hinted in the explication, implies
an exciting or influencing of others to the study of good works.
The word, as I said, is borrowed from captains or command-
ers, who go in front of the battle, encouraging the soldiers of
the army to follow their example. The believer studies to
exhibit a good copy, and to recommend holiness and good
works to others, by his practice ; so that others, seeing his
good works, may be encouraged to do the like.

7. Lastly, This maintaining of good works must needs de-
pend upon doing all by faith, and improving the strength of
Christ: "I will go in the strength of the Lord God: I will
make mention of thy righteousness, even of thine only." But
this leads me to the second general head.

II. The second general thing proposed in the method, was,
to give some account of this believing in God, zvhich is given as
the character of those who maintain good zcorks. Here I would,
1. Show what believing in God implies. 2. Give some of the
qualities of this believing. 3. Show the influence that it has
upon good works.

First, What believing in God imports.

1. It imports the knowledge of God, in a suitableness to
the revelation which he has made of himself to us, through
Christ, in the gospel. I own, that the very Heathens may
know his eternal power, by the things that are seen ; but
there is no saving knowledge of God by a guilty sinner, but
as he is in Christ: 2 Cor. iv. 6: "God, who commanded the
light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to
give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God, in the
face of Jesus Christ." And whatever fine notions or specu-
lations people may have of God, and of his excellencies, as

VIII.] OF GOOD WORKS ASSERTED. 189

discoverable in the works of creation and providence; yet, if
their notions of him be not regulated by the gospel-revelation,
and if this revelation of a God in Christ be not opened by the
Spirit of wisdom, rending the veil of ignorance and unbelief
that is upon the mind by nature, there can be no saving, satis-
fying, or sanctifying knowledge of God, and consequently no
true faith, or believing. Indeed, a rational knowledge may
produce a rational faith, and an historical knowledge may pro-
duce an historical faith ; but it is only a saving illumination
of the mind with the knowledge of a God in Christ, recon-
ciling the world to himself, that can produce a saving faith.
And this knowledge is so essential to faith, or believing, that
we find it frequently in scripture called by the name of know-
ledge: " I will give them a heart to know me, that I am the
Lord. By his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify
many. This is life eternal, to know thee the only true God,
and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent."

2. To believe in God, implies a firm and steady assent
to the truth and veracity of God speaking in his word. It
is to believe and credit what he says, on his own testimony.
This is called a " receiving the record of God, a setting to
the seal that God is true, a believing of the report of the gos-
pel." When the man hears " the word of the truth of the
gospel," he is ready to cry out, with the apostle, " It is a faith-
ful saying." This word is established in the heavens; yea,
" heaven and earth shall pass away," but this word of God
"endureth for ever."

3. To believe in God, is to trust that this word of a recon-
ciled God in Christ is not only true in the general, but that it
shall be true to me in particular, that it shall be made good
to me. He takes up God in Christ as a promising God, pro-
mising peace and pardon, grace and glory, in Christ ; and he
takes up the promise, as coming to him in the offer of the gos-
pel, as the immediate ground and foundation of his faith : Acts
ii. 39 : " The promise is unto you, and to your children, and
to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God
shall call." Now, 1 say, the man taking up the word of grace
and promise in this way, trusts the promiser for the perform-
ing thereof to his own soul : he takes it as a sufficient secu-
rity for all promised good, saying, Here is my " substance :
This is all my salvation." Hence faith acted upon the pro-
mise of God is called "the substance of things hoped for, the
evidence of things not seen," Heb. xi. 1. And this is what
many notable divines, both abroad and at home, call the as-
surance of faith, or the appropriating persuasion of faith ; be-
cause there is not only a persuasion of the truth of the pro-
mise, but a persuasion of it, with application and appro-

190 THE NECESSITY AND PROFITABLENESS [SER.

priation of it to the man himself in particular. And this is
all I say at present about the ingredients of faith in God. I
come,

Secondly, To give some of the properties and qualities of it.
And there are these few following that I mention: —

1. It is a staying, quieting, or composing grace. Tt will
settle the mind under the greatest storms and disorders : Is.
xxvi. 3: "Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind
is stayed on thee." Hence the believer, under clouds of de-
sertion, temptation, and affliction, is directed to " trust in the
name of the Lord, and stay upon his God," Is. 1. 10.

2. It is a receptive or a taking grace. It gives nothing to
God, as other graces do; but only takes or receives from the
Lord : it does not come to give, but to get. Hence it is expressed
by a taking; Rev. xxii. 17: "Whosoever will, let him take
the water of life freely;" or, which is the same thing, a re-
ceiving, John i. 12: "But as many as received him, to them
gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that
believe on his name. Faith is, in scripture, sometimes com-
pared to the eye: " Look unto me, and be ye saved, all' the
ends of the earth," Is. xlv. 22 : You know the eye, when it
beholds external objects, does not give any thing to what it
beholds, but only takes in the image or impression of what it
sees, and conveys that to the mind : so, faith does not add or
give any thing to God ; it only beholds him, and the discove-
ries he has made of his grace, and glory, and love, and faith-
fulness, in Christ, and impresses the soul with them. Hence
we, by " beholding his glory as in a glass," are said to be
"changed into the same image," 2 Cor. iii. 18.

3. Although it be only a receptive grace with respect to
its object, yet, where implanted, it is a mighty operative grace
with respect to its subject: for, as you may hear afterward,
it influences every good word and work ; and therefore all
true obedience is called "the obedience of faith." So that
an idle or inactive faith is but dead, like the body without
the soul.

4. It is a radical or rooting grace. It roots the soul, as it
were, in the root of Jesse, the plant of renown. And itself is
the root of the other graces of the Spirit, by which they are
made to grow and blossom. As the tree strikes its roots into
the ground, and from thence draws fatness, sap, and moisture,
conveying a digested nourishment to the several branches, by
which they are made to bud and nourish, and bring forth
fruit; so, faith ingrafts and unites the soul to Christ, de-
riving spiritual sap, and moisture, and fatness, by which every
other habit of grace is drawn forth to a lively exercise.

5. It is a most humble and lowly grace. It carries the

VIII.] OP GOOD WORKS ASSERTED. 191

man quite out of himself into Christ for all. Hence it is called
a "submitting unto the righteousness of God," Rom. x. 3. A
very strange expression ! Shall it be reckoned submission for
a condemned criminal to receive a pardon ? Is it submission
for a naked beggar to receive a robe 1 Yet thus it is : the
pride of our hearts will not stoop so low, as to be obliged to
the Son of God for righteousness, pardon, and life. And this
is the very thing that makes faith, or believing, so difficult.
What difficulty is there for a naked man to receive a gar-
ment to cover him? What difficulty for a poor man to re-
ceive a gift? What difficulty for a weary man to sit down
and rest 1 But the thing that makes this difficult is, the pride
of our hearts, together with our ignorance both of our malady
and remedy. Now, I say, faith breaks the pride of the heart,
and submits, or lies down, as it were, at the foot of sovereign
grace, heartily content to be indebted to Christ for all. The
man is content to be a fool, that Christ may be his wisdom;
content to be a criminal, in the eyes of law, and justice, and
conscience, that Christ may be his righteousness; content to
own himself a polluted filthy sinner, that in him he may be
sanctified; content to own himself a slave, that he may be a
free man in Christ and share of his redemption. This is true
gospel-humility, indeed, and what the high and lofty One re-
gards: Is. lvii. 15: "Thussaith the high and lofty One that
inhabiteth eternity, — I dwell with him that is of a contrite
and humble spirit." "Though God be high, yet hath he re-
gard to such as are" thus "lowly."

6. It is an elevnting and ennobling grace. Though it be
an humbling grace, yet it is a most exalting grace ; it elevates
the soul above this lower world, it looks down on it as a
dunghill, and mounts up with wings toward the land that is
very far off; it enters within the veil, and takes a view of
things invisible, and particularly of an unseen Christ, and
triumphs in him: "Whom having not seen, we love; in
whom, though now we see him not, yet believing, we rejoice
with joy unspeakable, and full of glory." It mounts so high,
that it will even dare to sit down upon the throne with Christ
in glory: hence we are said to "sit together with him" by
faith "iu heavenly places."

7. It is a cheering and a comforting grace. We are " filled
with all joy and peace in believing. 1 had fainted," says Da-
vid, " unless I had believed."

8. It is a bold and confident grace. Hence we read fre-
quently of the " boldness of faith," and the " assurance of faith,''
Hcb. iv. 16; Heb. x. 22. It is disputed at this day, whether
assurance be of the essence of faith. I incline not to call it
by the name of assurance, because some cavil at that word; but

192 THE NECESSITY AND PROFITABLENESS [sER.

I choose rather to call it by the name of the certainly of faith.
I do not design to enter much upon that controversy at pre-
sent : all I say of it is only this ; that there cannot miss to be
a certainty in faith, because doubts and fears vanish before
it. " Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith ?" How faith
can fill the soul with "joy and peace," yea, with "joy un-
speakable, and full of glory," if it have no certainty in it as
to these things in which it rejoices, is what I think no man
is able to account for. How a man can rest on Christ, and
apply him and his salvation to himself in particular, and yet
not believe " that he shall be saved through the grace of
Christ," to me appears a paradox. I do not say, that faith
excludes doubts out of the believer; but I say, that faith ex-
cludes doubting out of its own nature. Light excludes dark-
ness out of its nature ; and yet there may be much darkness
in a room where there is some light. Certainty may be of
the nature of faith, although there be much darkness and
doubting in the believer, through the prevalence of ignorance
and unbelief that remains in him, and will remain, while he
is clogged with a body of death. So, in like manner, love
excludes enmity out of the nature of it; and yet, in the be-
liever, who loves Christ, there is much remaining enmity,
by which his love is exceedingly weakened: so the certainty
of faith is weakened through the remaining utfbelief that is
still in the believer's heart. But now here it would be re-
membered, that, although there be a certainty in the nature
of faith, a certainty of trust, rest, or confidence in God,
grounded on his promise in Christ; yet there is a great diffe-
rence betwixt this certainty of faith, and the certainty or as-
surance of sense or reflection, which some call a discursive
assurance : for the certainty of sense is built upon the soul's
own experience or feeling ; but the certainty of faith is built
on the promise, and Christ in the promise. The first sort of
assurance is not at all in the nature of faith; but the last sort
of assurance or certainty, is what is, and has been owned, by
all the stream of reformed divines, both at home and abroad,
ever since our happy reformation from Popery. I shall only
add here, that the difference betwixt the certainty of faith
and of sense, is very evident and obvious; for the one has a
respect to what the soul feels and sees at present before it ;
but the other, to wit, the certainty of faith, has a respect to
things promised, which are not seen or felt otherwise but as
they lie in the womb of the promise, and in the veracity of
the promiser. To give you a few instances: By the cer-
tainty of faith, Moses, and the believing Israelites, knew, be-
fore they came out of Egypt, that they would have a passage
through the Red sea as through dry land ; but, by the cer-

VHt.] OF GOOD WORKS ASSERTED. 193

tainty of sense, they knew it, when they saw the waters file
off on every hand, making a lane for Israel to pass on. By
faith acted on God's promise, they knew that the walls of
Jericho would fall down at the sounding of rams' horns; but,
by the certainty of sense, they knew it, when they saw them
actually fall flat before them. By the assurance of faith Abra-
ham believed, without staggering, that he should have a son,
because God had promised it; but, by the assurance of sense,
he knew it, when he got I*aac in his arms. By the assurance
of faith, Abraham, and the Old Testament worthies, believed
that the Messiah was to come in the fulness of time ; but, by
the assurance of sense, John the Baptist, and others, knew it,
when they saw him manifested in the flesh, and beheld his
glory, saying, " Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away
the sin of the world." By the certainty of faith, we under
the New Testament are persuaded and assured, that Christ
is to come again the second time ; but, by the certainty of
sense, we shall know it, when we shall see him descend from
heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and
trump of God. By faith we are assured of the resurrection
of the dead, and of our own resurrection in particular; but,
by sense, we shall be assured of it at that day, when the
voice shall be heard, commanding the sea to give up its dead,
and the earth to give up its dead. Thus, I say, there is a
great and visible difference between the certainty of faith,
and the certainty of sense. By faith acted upon the promise,
I believe the remission of sins, and of my sins, through Christ ;
but, by the certainty of sense, 1 am assured of this, when God
by his Spirit seals his pardon on my soul with a sensible smile
of his countenance. By faith I believe God to be my God,
because he has said it in the covenant, " I will be their God;"
but, by the certainty of sense, I believe this, when he reveals
and manifests himself to my soul. By faith, grounded on the
promise of eternal life in Christ, I believe my own salvation
in particular; but, by the certainty of sense, I believe, be-
cause I have believed, or because God has discovered him-
self to be a saving God to me, by the operation of his Spirit
upon my soul. So, I say, faith is a bold and confident grace;
it intermeddles with, applies, and appropriates, and makes
use of the goods of the testament of Christ as its own, the
testament being confirmed in the blood of the Lamb; and this
testament it not only pleads, but rejoices in. The language
of faith is not properly, May be, or, Peradventure it shall be so ;
though I grant that a weak faith may many times lurk un-
der a may be : but, I say, let faith be stripped of its incum-
brances, or of those things that are opposite to its nature; let
it but get a full view of the promise, and faithfulness of the
vol. i. 17

194 THE NECESSITY AND PROFITABLENESS [sER.

promiser, it will set its foot on unbelief, and all discourage-
ments, saying, It shall be, because God hath said it. Thus
you see faith expresses itself; Mic. vii. 7 — 10: I will look unto
the Lord : I will wait for the God of my salvation : my God
will hear me." And ver. 8: "When I fall, I shall arise;
when I sit in darkness, the Lord shall be a light unto me."
And, ver. 9, at the close : " He will bring me forth to the
light, and I shall behold his righteousness."

9. It is a very quick-sighted grace. It can see relief coming
to the soul at a vast distance, saying, "I shall see the good-
ness of the Lord in the land of the living." It can look through
frowning dispensations, and see love in the heart of God.

10. It is a strengthening and establishing grace: "Except
ye believe, ye shall not be established." It is by faith that
we are " strengthened in the grace that is in Christ Jesus."
Faith, in a manner, wields the very arm of Omnipotence, and
cries with Paul, " 1 can do all things through Christ which
strengtheneth me."

To conclude, faith is a patient grace ; it waits on the Lord
till his time come for the accomplishment of his promise. Un-
belief is hasty : " 1 said, in my haste, All men are liars : but he
that believeth, shall not make haste." Its language is, " I will
look unto the Lord: I will wait for the God of my salvation.
—The vision is for an appointed time, but at the end it shall
speak, and not lie : though it tarry, wait for it, because it
will surely come, it will not tarry."

Thirdly, 1 now proceed to inquire what influence this faith
has upon good works? Answ. There are several things that
are inlaid with the very nature and exercise of faith, which
cannot miss to influence, holiness and good works. As,

1. True faith unites the soul to Christ, who is the very
root and fountain of all holiness. " From me," saith the
Lord, " is thy fruit found. — Except ye abide in me, and I in
you," to wit, by faith, " ye cannot bring forth much fruit."
Indeed, a person in a state of nature may bring forth many
fruits that are morally and materially good; but, without
union with Christ, we can do no work that is spiritually good
and acceptable; for, "as the branch cannot bear fruit of it-
self, except it abide in the vine ; no more can ye, except ye
abide in me." We may as well " gather grapes of thorns,
or figs of thistles," as expect works that are spiritually good
from a person out of Christ. Why 1 The reason of it is plain :
his " root " is but " rottenness," while he grows upon the old
Adam: and therefore his "blossom shall go up as dust."
While a man is growing upon the old Adam, he is married
to the law as a covenant ; and therefore all his works are
but dead works : and can ever dead works be acceptable to

VIII.] OF GOOD WORKS ASSERTED. 195

the living God ? We must be " dead to the law by the body
of Christ," and "married" to that better husband, before we
can " bring forth fruit unto God," Rom. vii. 4.

2. Faith works by love; and " love is the fulfilling of the
law." Love to God in Christ is the next and immediate fruit
of true and saving faith. Now, the heart being oiled with
the love of God in Christ, this makes the man to abound in
good works : " The love of Christ constrains us," says the
apostle. Love makes a man to keep God's commandments.
Love will make a man to run through fire and water for
him. " Many waters cannot quench love," &c. Cant. viiL
7. " Who shall separate us from the love of Christ ?" Rom.
viii. 35.

3. Faith is a shield to quench the fiery darts of Satan.
When temptation without, and corruption within, are forming
a conspiracy against the work of grace in the soul, by which
the whole work is endangered, then faith breaks the plot, and
countermines it. When Adonijah's conspiracy had carried
the whole strength of the kingdom of Israel, it was broken
by making application to David: "Hast thou not said, that
Solomon shall reign?" So, when temptation and corruption
have carried the matter to a great height, the conspiracy is
broken by faith's application to Christ : O Lord, hast thou
Hot said that grace shall reign, and that " sin shall not have
dominion over me?' And thus the soul is made to go on its
way, " rejoicing to work righteousness."

4. Faith applies the promises of the new covenant and
fetches grace from thence, for obeying the precepts of the
law. So that faith, as it were, travels between the precept
and the promise : it carries the man from the precept to the
promise, and from the promise to the precept. As, for instance,
when the law says, " Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with
all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength,
and with all thy mind ;" faith runs to the promise, where God
has said, " I will circumcise their hearts to love me." When
the law says, " Thou shalt fear the Lord thy God, and make
him thy dread;" faith, in that case, runs to the promise for the
grace of fear: "I will put my fear in their hearts, (hat they
shall not depart from me." Does the law say, " Thou shalt
know the Lord," and acknowledge him for " thy God?" Well,
faith looks to the promise, " I will give them a heart to know
me, that I am the Lord." Does the law oblige us to " keep
all his commandments?" Faith runs to the promise, and ap-
plies it : " I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to
walk in my statutes."

5. Faith has an influence on good works, as it beholds the
authority of a God in Christ interposed in every command-

196 THE NECESSITY AND PROFITABLENESS [sEFU

ment of the law. The eye of natural reason may see, as was
hinted, the authority of a God Creator, as is plain in the case
of the Heathens ; but it is only the eye of that faith, which
is of God's operation, that can behold the authority of a God
in Christ, and receive the law out of his hands. In this re-
spect we are told, " that no man can call Jesus Lord, but by
the Holy Ghost." And when the law is received from his
mouth, it does not reflect dishonour upon God as a Creator.
O! when a God in Christ is viewed by faith, the soul cannot
but cry out, "He is my King of old, working salvation in the
midst of the earth ; His commandments are not grievous ; His
yoke is easy, and his burden is light:" for I see it no more a
covenant of works to me, but a rule of obedience, sweetened
with redeeming love and grace. Thus, you see what influence
faith has upon good works.

III. The third general head proposed in the method was,
to inquire in what respect good zcorks are profitable to men.

But, first, I would show you, negatively, in what respects
they are not profitable to men.

1. Then, They are not at all profitable to men for justification
or acceptance before God : for " by the works of the law/'
says the apostle, "shall no flesh be justified. Our justifica-
tion and acceptance, both as to our persons and our works, go
upon quite other ground; viz. upon the everlasting righteous-
ness, the obedience and death, of the Son of God, as our sure-
ty, apprehended by faith. It is in him " that all the seed of
Israel shall be justified, and shall glory." Indeed, the gene-
rality of men, that are trained up in a Protestant country,
will tell you, that they do not expect to be justified by their
own righteousness, but only by the righteousness of Christ. But
alas ! how few arc they that really and actually submit to
this righteousness! There is a cursed bias in the heart of man
to lean to something in himself. Is not this the language of
thy heart many times? O! if I had such a frame, such a melt-
ing heart, such love, such a degree of humility and obedience,
then I think God would accept of me, and love me, on that
account. But, sirs, let me tell you, that it is not on account
of any thing wrought in you, or done by you, that God accepts
of you, but only on account of the doing and dying of the Son of
God. I may say to all legalists, that are looking for acceptance
with God on the ground of the law, and their own obedience, as
the prophet Isaiah says to a set of men in his day, Is. lix. 6:
" Their webs shall not become garments, neither shall they
cover themselves with their works." So, then, good works are
not at all profitable to righteousness and justification. Hence,
(Is. lvii. 12 :) " I will declare thy righteousness, and thy works,
for they shall not profit thee."

VIII.] OF GOOD WORKS ASSERTED. 197

2. Good works are not at all profitable to found a claim or
title to heaven, or yet to any blessing and mercy promised
in the whole covenant of grace ; for heaven, and all the bless-
ings that lie on this side of it, come to us in the way of a free
gift. God gives Christ, his unspeakable gift, and with him
he freely gives us these things: The gift of God is eternal
life, through Jesus Christ our Lord." I own, indeed, that in
God's covenantof promisethere isa connexion and orderestab-
lished, for conferring of these promised blessings to us ; so
that when God gives one thing, it is a pledge of another thing
coming; when he gives grace, to be sure he will give glory ;
when he gives a mourning heart, it is a sign that comfort is
coming, because that is God's method and way, " to give
the oil of joy for mourning, and to revive the heart of the
humble." But though the tears of gospel-mourning be a
sign and evidence of comfort coming, yet they are not the
condition for which God bestows comfort. So God has con-
nected faith and salvation together in the covenant; so that
"he that believeth, shall be saved:" but it is not our faith
that entitles us to salvation; no, but faith unites the soul to
Christ, in whom we recover our right to the forfeited inhe-
ritance. It is by virtue of the soul's union with Christ by
faith, that it is entitled to all the promised blessings. Hence
all the promises are said to be " in him yea, and in him amen."
There is no promise in the Bible, but it is made in the first
instance to Christ as the head, and in him to the members of
his mystical body. Just as it was in the first covenant, to wit,
the covenant of works ; the promise of life, upon condition of
perfect obedience, was made directly to Adam as the cove-
nant head, and, in him, to his posterity : so in the new cove-
nant, of which Christ is the head, the promise of life, and
every thing belonging to it, is first made to him ; and, in him,
to all his spiritual seed and offspring : and in this respect, all
the promises are in him yea and amen. Christ is the first heir
of all things; and the title of the younger brethren is only
through him, or by virtue of their union with him. Thus,
good works, I say, are not profitable to men, in order to
found a title to heaven and eternal life.

3. As our good works are not profitable to men in any of
these respects, so neither are they profitable to God, as
though he had any advantage by them : Job xxii. 2, 3 :
" Can a man be profitable to God, as he that is wise may be
profitable to himself? Is it any pleasure to the Almighty,
that thou art righteous? or is it gain to him, that thou
makest thy ways perfect?" Hence David acknowledges,
that " his goodness extended not to the Lord." Alas ! we
are ready to think, that God is much indebted to us, when

17*

198 THE NECESSITY AND PROFITABLENESS

we do this orjhat. Have we fasted and prayed, mourned
and repented, kept the Sabbath, attended ordinances, and per-
formed this or the other duty ; and yet will not God be pleased
with all? No, no; do not mistake it; you that bring these
things as a price in your hands, to recommend you to God,
all your duties are but like the cutting off of a dog's neck, and
the offering of swine's blood upon his altar. And, therefore,
he will say to you, as he said to Israel, Is. i. 11: "To what
purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices unto me."

But now, you may perhaps say to me, By this way of
speaking you make good works profitable for nothing at all.
What strange doctrine is this 1 I answer, although they be
not at all profitable in any of these respects, but wholly un-
profitable and pernicious; yet good works, when done out of
a principle of faith, are really profitable on many other ac-
counts. As,

1. They are profitable, as they are the fruits and evidences
of a true and lively faith: Jam. ii. 18: "Yea, a man may
say, Thou hast faith, and I have works : show me thy faith
without thy works, and I will show thee my faith by my
works." And, ver. 22: " Seest thou how faith wrought with
his works, and by works was faith made perfect?" From
whence it is plain, that works are profitable, as the fruits and
evidences of true faith. We know that there is sap and life
in the tree by the fruits, the leaves, and blossoms, that it puts
forth ; so we know our faith to be a true faith, by the fruits
of holiness and good works. Vea, our good works will be
brought forth, at the last day, as the evidence of our faith ; and
therefore it is said, Rev. xx. 12; "They were judged ac-
cording to their works." Works are not a ground of confi-
dence, but an evidence ; they are not the foundation of faith,
but the fruits of it : and the believer's comfort may be in-
creased by the sight of good works, though it is not built on
them. In a word, they manifest our claim and title to the
crown, but do not at all procure or merit the same. We have
peace with God, and with conscience, by the righteousness of
Christ; and by holiness, or good works, our peace of con-
science is maintained and evidenced to us.

2. They are profitable, as they are testimonies and evi-
dences of our gratitude to God for the wonders of his grace
and love manifested in and by Jesus Christ. Hence says
David, Psal. cxvi. 12, 13: "What shall I render unto the
Lord, for all his benefits towards me? I will take the cup of
salvation, and call upon the name of the Lord." 1 Pet. ii. 9 :
" Ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy na-
tion, a peculiar peop'e ; that ye should show forth the praises
of him w7ho hath called you out of darkness into his marvel*

VIII.] OF GOOD WORKS ASSERTED. 199

lous light." The works of obedience, are, as it were, thank-
offerings to God for the benefits bestowed on us ; and when
men have not a conversation suitable to their mercies, they
despise the goodness of God. Hence is it that the Lord
complains of such, saying. " Do ye thus requite the Lord,
O foolish people and unwise."

3. They are profitable and needful for strengthening our
assurance : 1 John ii. 3 : " Hereby we do know that we know
him,- if we keep his commandments." And, ver. 5: "Whoso
keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected:
hereby know we that we are in him." 2 Pet. i. 5, to ver. 10.
From all which you see, that assurance is strengthened and
confirmed by the fruits of holiness and good works. We read,
that " the Spirit beareth witness with our spirit, that we are
the children of God :" and it is well, when, with the witness
of the Spirit, we have that of water, that is, sanctification and
purity of heart and life.

4. They are profitable, as they arc edifying to others:
Matth. v. 16 : " Let your light so shine before men, that they
may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is
in heaven." Christ does not there encourage vain-glory and
boasting, but proposes the true end of our visible or external
holiness, namely; that others may have matter of praise to
God for his grace abounding toward us ; and that they may
be also engaged to the study of holiness and practical religion
by our example. It was a saying of Hierom, " That he loved
Christ, dwelling in Austin." We ought so to walk, as others
may love Christ dwelling in us. It is an exhortation to be-
lieving wives, 1 Pet. iii. 1, so to walk, that their husbands may
be zco?i to the Lord. So that, I say, good works are edifying
to others.

5. They are profitable, as they serve to adorn the profes-
sion of the gospel : 1 Tim. vi. 1 : " Let as many servants as
are under the yoke, count their own masters worthy of all
honour; that the name of God, and his doctrine, be not blas-
phemed." Tit. ii. 5, 9 — 12. Thus, they serve to adorn re-
ligion. The church is the Lord's garden; and you know
the fruitfulness of the trees of the garden serve exceedingly
to adorn it; whereas barrenness, or bad fruit, is a disgrace,
and makes the garden to be ill-spoken of. When men, pro-
fessing godliness, have not a suitable walk and conversation,
it makes enemies and strangers to conclude, that all religion
is but a fraud or cheat, and that there is no reality in it;
whereas, a fruitful conversation stops the mouths of the ene-
mies of religion : 1 Pet. ii. 15: "So is the will of God, (hat
with well-doing ye may put to silence the ignorance of fool-
ish men."

200 THE NECESSITY AND PROFITABLENESS [SER.

6. They are profitable, as they manifest our implantation
or ingrafting into Christ: Eph. ii. 10: "We are his work-
manship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God
hath before ordained that we should walk in them."

7. There is an analogy and proportion between good works
and glory : Rom. vi. 22 : " But now being made free from sin
and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness,
and the end everlasting life." But I do not insist.

IV. I proceed now to the last thing in the method, which
was the application.

First, This doctrine may serve for information, in these two
or three particulars: —

1. See hence the right way to attain true morality, or how
you may come to do good works to purpose : you must believe
in God, and by faith be united to the Lord Jesus Christ. The
apostle, Rom. vii. tried to do good works by the strength of
nature, but it would not do with him ; for " the command-
ment which was ordained to life, he found to be unto death."
And I do verily believe, that none shall ever make a better
hand of it than he did, try it who will, by the strength of na-
ture. The law, of itself, only irritates corruption, instead of
mortifying it: for, says he, " when the commandment came,
sin revived." Like a serpent that is chilled with the cold, it
lies as if it were dead ; but when brought to the heat, it re-
vives and spits venom: so corrupt nature, when brought to
the commandment, or the commandment brought to it, it re-
vives and gathers strength, and discovers more malignity than
it did before : " Sin, taking occasion by the commandment,
works in us all manner of concupiscence."

2. See hence, how unjustly ministers, who endeavour to
preach the doctrine of the grace of God, or who preach down
works in the matter of justification, are aspersed as enemies
to good works and holiness, or as if they separated between
faith and good works. This was a calumny cast upon Christ
himself, which made him offer that vindication, Matth. v. 17:
"I am not come to destroy the law or the prophets, but to
fulfil the law. This was a charge against the protomartyr
Stephen, Acts vi. 13, that he "spoke blasphemous words
against the holy place, and the law." And this also was a
charge against the apostle Paul and his doctrine: hence it is-
that he anticipates that objection, Rom. iii. 31 : " Do we then
make void the law through faith ? God forbid : yea, we estab-
lish the law."

3. See hence the folly of those who, under a pretext of
grace, or of faith in Christ, give way to licentiousness, as many
carnal gospellers do. Whatever pretences such may have to
faith, yet they are strangers to it, and never felt the effect

VIII.] OF GOOD WORKS ASSERTED. 201

of divine grace on their own souls ; otherwise it would " teach
them, that denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, they should
live soberly, righteously, and godly in this present world." It
is no new thing for corrupt nature to abuse the doctrine of
the grace of God. This was an evil the apostle complains of
in his day ; hence he takes notice of some who argued, that
they might sin, that grace might abound, Rom. vi. But though
the doctrine of grace may be abused, while it lies floating in
the head; yet when it gets into the heart, it engages to holi-
ness in " all manner of conversation." In a word, though the
doctrine of grace may be abused, the habit and exercise of
grace cannot be abused to sin.

Use 2d of exhortation. Is it so, that it is they, and they only
who believe, that do and can maintain good works? Then
my first exhortation is, O believe in the Son of God. We read
of a company, John vi. 28, who came to Christ, asking him,
"What shall we do, that we might work the works of God1?"
Christ's answer is, ver. 29, " This is the work of God, that ye
believe on him whom he hath sent." This is the great and
fundamental precept that lays the foundation of all true obe-
dience ; for all true obedience is the obedience of faith. And
therefore study to obey that great commandment, 1 John hi.
23: "And this is his commandment, that we should believe
on the name of his Son Jesus Christ." But I will not enlarge
upon this use at present.

The second exhortation is to them that have believed, that
you may " be careful to maintain good works." Time will
not allow me to enlarge upon this either : only consider, by
way of motive, shortly, that, as every person of the adorable
Trinity bears a share, according to their particular economy,
in the work of man's redemption; so there is an obligation,
arising from every one of them, tying us to the study and
maintenance of good works. The Father has elected you
from eternity, and loved you with an everlasting love. And
why did he elect you 1 It was to holiness or good works :
Eph. i. 4, 5 : " He hath predestinated us unto the adoption
of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good
pleasure of his will, that we should be holy, and without
blame before him in love." The Son has redeemed us with
♦his blood, not only that we should be liberated from wrath,
but that we should be holy, and abound in the fruits there-
of: Tit. ii. 14 : " He gave himself for us, that he might re-
deem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar
people, zealous of good works." The Holy Ghost is our Com-
forter, and he dwells in us as in a temple; and therefore we
are bound and obliged not to grieve him : " Grieve not the
Holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of re-

202 THE NECESSITY AND PROFITABLENESS [sER.

demption. Know ye not that ye are the temple of God,
and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? If any man de-
file the temple of God, him shall God destroy." Thus, I say,
every person of the adorable Trinity, and their relation to us,
obliges us to the study of good works. Again; the covenant
of grace, and the promises of it, not only encourage, but
oblige us to the study of good works: 2 Cor. vii. 1 : " Having
these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from
all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the
fear of God."

But I must of necessity pass other motives, and conclude
the whole with a few directions or advices. Take these fol-
lowing : —

1. If you would do good works, take care that your state
be right, I mean, take care that you have a station in Christ
the second Adam ; for, without this, you cannot bring forth
fruit, either pleasing to God, or profitable to your own souls.
Thou art but a thorn and thistle in God's vineyard, whilst
thou art in a state of nature ; and therefore there is no good
fruit of obedience that can grow upon thee. See that you
have the Spirit of Christ within you ; and for this end plead
that promise, Ezek. xxxvi. 27 : "1 will put my Spirit with-
in you, and cause you to walk in my statutes." It is the
Spirit of the Head that animates all the members of the
body : he helps our infirmities in prayer, and in other good
works also.

2. In all your works or duties of obedience, keep your eye
upon the chief corner-slone that God hath laid in Zion. You
know a mason or builder cannot miss to make very irregular
work, if he do not keep his eye upon the foundation and cor-
ner-stone of the house ; his work will be marred. Just so it
is here; if we do not keep our eye on Christ by faith, as the
foundation laid in Zion, the foundation of acceptance, the
foundation of assistance, we can never yield acceptable obe-
dience to God. And when either the merit or Spirit of Christ
go out of sight, immediately the heart turns legal, by which
all our duties are spoiled and marred.

3. Study always to keep up the lively impression of this
awful truth upon your hearts, that God could find matter of
condemnation against you, not only from your worst sins, but
from the best of your duties. The most holy and heavenly
man that ever breathed, durst not adventure the salvation of
his soul upon the most heavenly thought that ever he con-
ceived. Due impressions of this will help to keep your hearts
right in point of righteousness; so as not to build your accepta-
tion before God upon your good works, but only on the works
of the Son of God. The apostle, I find, has a notable word to

VIII.] OF GOOD WORKS ASSERTED. 203

this purpose, 1 Cor. iv. 4: "I know nothing by myself, yet
am I not hereby justified." The apostle's meaning is (/ know
nothing by myself,) as if he had said, ' I am not conscious to
myself of any unfaithfulness in my ministry, or trust that
God has reposed in me ; my conscience does not smite me
for neglect of duty, (yet am I not hereby justified.'') As if he
should say, ' Though I have laboured more abundantly than
all the rest; though I have fought the good fight, finished my
course, kept the faith, (yet am I not hereby justified ;') all this
will not make a righteousness by which I may expect to be
justified or accepted of God. No : he accounted all as dung
and loss, in the point of justification, " that he might be found
in Christ, .not having his own righteousness." So that you
see, even in the presence of your best graces, works, and
duties of obedience, free grace through imputed righteous-
ness, is to he your only sanctuary and city of refuge.

4. Whenever you are helped to do any thing in obedience
to the law, still remember what you do is done in a borrowed
strength, and that will keep you humble; for it is a vain spi-
rit that is proud of what is borrowed : 1 Cor. iv. 7 : " who
maketh thee to differ from another? and what hast thou that
thou didst not receive 1 Now if thou didst receive it, why
dost thou glory as if thou hadst not received it ?" And there-
fore do not " sacrifice to your own net ;" for it is not free
will, but free grace, to which thou art beholden. " It is God
which worketh in us, both to will and to do of his good plea-
sure."

5. Beware of legal ends and motives in the performing of
good works.

Quest. What are these 1 I answer,

1st, It is a legal end in obedience, when a man obeys, or
does good works, to make an atonement for his former sin.
Some, when they have fallen into any sin of omission or com-
mission, for which their consciences check and challenge
them, will purpose, vow, and resolve, that they will do bet-
ter in time coming; and thus they think they will make God
amends for what injury they have done to him and his holy
law. This argues a legal sp:rit. There is nothing that can
atone for the guilt of sin, but the ransom and propitiation that
God hath found.

2dly, When a man yields obedience, only to still the cla-
mours of an awakened conscience, or to keep his conscience
easy. Alas ! sirs, though our own righteousness and good
works may appease and stop the mouth of conscience; but
they will never " purge the conscience from dead works."
Nothing less can satisfy conscience, God's deputy, than what
satisfies divine justice ; and that is the blood of Christ applied

204 THE NECESSITY AND PROFITABLENESS [sEO,

by faith. And therefore it must needs argue or discover a
man to be of a legal spirit, that licks himself whole with his
good works. Good works are not to be neglected : but they
are not to be rested in, or upon, as a righteousness.

Sdly, When a man yields obedience to the commands of
the law, only that he may be kept out of hell. It is true, in-
deed, there is a filial fear of God as a Father, and of his fa-
therly displeasure, which is one of the principal springs of
gospel obedience, according to what you have, Jer. xxxii.
40: "I will put my fear in their hearts, that they shall not
depart from me." But there is a vast difference between
this, and a slavish fear of hell and eternal damnation : there
is as great a difference between the one and the other, as be-
tween the fear that a loving child has to an affectionate fa-
ther, and the fear that a condemned criminal or malefactor
has of his judge: the one is driven to obedience through ter-
ror, but the other is drawn to obedience through love. I do
not deny but a child of God, through the prevalence of temp-
tation, desertion, or unbelief, may come to be under such a
spirit of bondage ; but then it is not his privilege, but his pu-
nishment. And in so far as the child of God is actuated in his
obedience by a " spirit of bondage unto fear," his obedience is
legal : for when he acts like himself, like a believer indeed,
he 'serves the Lord without fear," without slavish fear of
hell and wrath, " in holiness and righteousness before him, all
the days of his life," Luke i. 74, 75.

4lhly, When a man performs good works, to procure a
right and title to heaven and glory. For, as I was saying,
our title comes only by Jesus Christ ; Christ is the first heir
of eternal life, and we are "joint-heirs with him." But you
may say, Are we not told, Rev. xxii. 14, " Blessed are they
that do his commandments, that they may have right to
the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the
city?" For clearing this to you, you should know, that there
is a twofold right to glory, which is the thing there spoken
of, to wit, a legal and evidential right. (1.) I say, there is a
legal or a law right. You know the title to life and glory
was forfeited by the breach of the law in the first Adam ;
and it must be recovered again by a perfect obedience to the
law : and whose obedience can do this, but the obedience of
Christ imputed to us for righteousness? So that, I say, we
come to have our law right and title to glory, and other bless-
ings, only recovered in Christ, and by the imputation of his
righteousness to us, by which " the law is magnified, and
made honourable." But, (2.) There is a right of evidence,
by which our right, through Christ, is evidenced, and cleared
up to our own souls. And this is the right that I conceive

VIII.] OF OOOD WORKS ASSERTED. 205

is spoken of in the scripture last mentioned. " They that do
his commandments," and yield obedience out of gospel prin-
ciples and motives, give evidence of their right, through
Christ, to heaven and glory ; and they shall " enter in through
the gates into the city of the new Jerusalem." But to make
our own obedience, our own holiness or good works, the
ground and foundation of our claim to the glories of heaven,
is grossly legal and Popish. Thus, I say, study to beware
of doing good works out of legal motives and principles ; for
these are like the " dead fly," that " makes the apothecary's
ointment to stink."

6. My last advice is, Study to yield obedience out of gos-
pel principles, ends, and motives, I shall not enlarge upon
these, because they were hinted at already. Obey and do
good works, with an eye to. the glory of God, out of a prin-
ciple of gratitude to him that has bought you with his blood.
And yield obedience, that in this way you may maintain fel-
lowship and communion with God. It is the man " that hath
clean hands, and a pure heart, who hath not lifted up his
soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully, who shall ascend into
the hill of the Lord, and who shall stand in his holy place."
The duties of obedience are like wagons or chariots, which
bring the soul to Christ, and the embraces of his love, though
they be not the procuring or meritorious cause of the least
blink of the Lord's countenance. And then, to conclude,
study the duties of obedience, not that you may obtain a ti-
tle to heaven, which is the fruit of the Redeemer's purchase ;
but that you may attain an aptitude and " meetness for par-
taking of the inheritance of the saints in light:" for though
there be no connexion of merit, yet there is a connexion of con-
gruity and suitableness between begun" holiness here, and con-
summate holiness, hereafter. It is among the irreversible
decrees of Heaven, that unholy, unsanctihed sinners, conti-
nuing so, "shall never enter into the kingdom of God." "No
unclean thing shall ever enter the gates of the new Jerusa-
lem." And therefore bewai-e of thinking, that when we lead
you to Christ, as the only foundation of your title to eternal
life, wre thus encourage any in a way of sin or unholiness.
No; the grace of God, in the gospel, teaches us better things,
namely, to " deny all ungodliness and worldly lusts, and to
live soberly, righteously, and godly in this present world."

vol. i. 18

206

SERMON IX.

CHRIST IN THE BELIEVER S ARMS.

Whom have I in heaven but thee? and there is none upon earth that I
desire besides thee. — Psal. lxxih. 25.

Then took he him up in his arms, and blessed God. — Luke ii. 28.

In the preceding context, from verse 25th and downward,
we have the following particulars recorded concerning
Simeon, of whom my text speaks : 1. We have an account
of his character, ver. 25. He was a just and devout man;
that is, one that made conscience of the duties of the first and
second table of the law; just towards man, and devout to-
wards God. Note, That there are no barren branches in
Christ the true vine: "They that have believed in him,
will be careful to maintain good works, and will have a re-
spect to all his commandments." Another part of Simeon's
character is, that he " waited for the consolation of Israel ;"
that is, for Christ the promised Messiah, who is, has been,
and will be the matter and ground of consolation to all be-
lievers, in all ages and periods of time ; and " blessed are all
they that wait for him, for they shall not be confounded."
Another part of his character is, that " the Holy Ghost was
upon him ;" and that both as a Spirit of prophecy, and a
Spirit of holiness. It is the privilege of all true believers,
that they have "the Spirit of glory, and of God resting upon
them," 1 Pet. iv. 14. 2. We have here a promise made to
Simeon, ver. 26 : " And it was revealed unto him by the
Holy Ghost, that he should not see death, before he had seen
the Lord's Christ." In this promise, Simeon saw him by the
eye of faith, before he saw him by the eye of his body.
Note, That faith's views of Christ in the promise, makes way
for the sensible manifestations of him here, and the imme-
diate enjoyment of him hereafter: Eph. i. 13: "After that
ye believed, ye were sealed." 3. We have the time when,
and the place where Simeon had this promise actually accom-

• Preached at the celebration of the Lord's supper in Strathmigto, Mav
10, 1724.

IX.] CHRIST IN THE BELIEVER'S ARMS. 207

plished to him, ver. 27 ; it was in the- " temple, when the
parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him after the
custom of the law." Note, They who would have a meeting
with Christ, must wait upon him in his temple, and ordinan-
ces of his appointment ; for it is there that " every one doth
speak of his glory." 4. In the words of my text we have
Simeon's welcome and the kindly reception he gave to the
Messiah, when he met him in the temple: "Then took he
him up in his arms, and blessed God."

Where notice, 1. Simeon's privilege, " He took him up in
his arms," namely, in the arms of his body: but at the same
time he embraced him also in the arms of faith, and took him
up as the salvation of God ; otherwise he could never have
blessed God for him, as the promised Messiah, " a light to
lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of his people Israel." I
am ready to believe, that there were many who got Christ in
their arms, when he was an infant, who never had him formed
in their hearts : but Simeon got him both in the arms of his
body and soul at once. Some may be ready to think, O what
a happy man was Simeon, and what a sweet arms-full had
he, when he had the great Messiah, Immanuel, God-man, in
his bodily arms ! It is true, indeed, this was a privilege ; but
yet his greatest privilege was, that he had him clasped in his
arms of faith. And though now his body be out of our reach,
yet still there is access to embrace him in a way of believing:
and this is what every true believer has the experience of,
either in less or more. 2. In the words we have Simeon's
gratitude for this privilege : He blessed God. He is in a praising
frame, being " filled with joy and peace in believing." And
his heart is so big with praise, that he wishes immediately
to be away to the land of praise, where he might get a well-
tuned harp put into his hand, and join with the hallelujahs
of the redeemed above : Alow, says he, lettest thou thy servant
depart in peace. So much for explication of the words.

Before I proceed to the doctrine I intend to insist upon, we
may observe, from the text and context, 1. That God's word
of promise to his people is sure, and never fails of accomplish-
ment. Simeon here had got a promise from the Lord, "that
he should not see death, before he had seen the Lord's Christ ;"
and, accordingly, my text gives an account of its accomplish-
ment. O sirs, venture on God's word of promise, and look
on it as the best security ; for faithful is he that hath promised :
his naked word is as good as payment ; he never broke his
word to man ; yea, " it is impossible for him to lie." 2. That
believers will find God not only as good, but better than his
word, when he comes, in his own time, to make out his pro-
mise to them. Simeon had a promise, that he should only

208 CHRIST IN THE BELIEVER'S ARMS. [sER.

see the Messiah before he died ; but we find, that he gets more
than a bare sight of him, for he gets him in his arms and heart
at once. 3. That a true believer loves Christ so well, that he
would put him in his very heart. Simeon here takes Christ
in his arms, and lays him in his bosom, as near his heart as
he could bring him. So the spouse, Song i. 13: "A bundle
of myrrh is my well-beloved unto me; he shall lie all night
betwixt my breasts." O I the mutual endearments betwixt
Christ and believers ; he carries them as lambs in his bosom,
and they carry the Lamb of God in their bosoms, Is. xl. 11.
4. That faith's embraces of Christ are so sweet, that they
render the prospect of death not only easy, but desirable to
the believer. Simeon, here, when he gets Christ in his arms,
is content that the union betwixt his soul and body should be
dissolved. But passing all these, the doctrine I design to dis-
cuss at the time is this :

Doct. " That faith's embraces of Christ fill the mouth
with praise." Simeon took him in his arms, and blessed
God ; where, as I told you, it was the arm of faith clasped
about Christ, that filled him with praise and gratitude, taking
him up as the Lord's Messiah.

In prosecuting this doctrine, I shall, through divine assist-
ance,

I. Speak a little concerning that arm of faith which em-
braces Christ.

II. Notice some of these songs of praise, which readily fill
the believer's heart and mouth, when he gets Christ in his
arms.

III. Whence it is that faith's embraces of Christ thus fill
the heart and mouth with praise.

IV. Apply the whole.

I.- As to the Jirst, namely, concerning that arm of faith zohick
embraces Christ, I would show, 1. What it is. 2. What sort
of an arm it is. 3. How it embraces Christ.

For the first, I have not time at present to open up the na-
ture of faith at any length ; all I shall do, is, only, in a few-
particulars, to show what it supposes and implies.

1. Then, It plainly supposes, that there is a gift or grant of
Christ made to sinners, in the free offer and call of the gospel.
Receiving necessarily supposes a giving ; and to take what is
not given, is but theft, robbery, or vicious intromission. John
vi. 32: Christ there says to a promiscuous multitude, the
greater part of whom were unbelievers, as is evident from the
sequel of the chapter, " My Father giveth you the true bread

IX.] CHRIST IN THE BELIEVER'S ARMS. 209

from heaven :" where it is plain, that giving and offering are
much the same thing ; with this difference only, that the gift
or grant of Christ in the word to sinners, is the ground upon
which the offer is made. We read, that " God hath given the
earth to the sons of men ;" that is, he made a grant of it to
them, to be used and possessed by them. And, by virtue of
this grant, before the earth came to be fully peopled, when a
man came to a piece of land, and set his foot upon it, he might
warrantably use it as his own property and possession : and
the foundation of this was, that God had give?i, or granted, the
earth to the sons of men. In like manner, God had gifted or
granted his only begotten Son, John iii. 16. For what end?
That zchosoever believeth in him, or takes possession of him by
faith, should not perish, but have everlasting life. It is true,
indeed, the eternal destination, the purchase and application of
redemption is peculiar only to the elect: but the revelation,
gift and offer, is common to all the hearers of the gospel; in-
somuch that, as the great Mr. Rutherford expresses it, the re-
probate have as fair a revealed warrant to believe as the elect
have. Every man has an offer of Christ brought to his door,
who lives within the compass of the joyful sound : and this of-
fer comes as close home to him, as if he were pointed out by
name. So that none have reason to say, ' The call and offer
is not to me, I am not warranted to embrace Christ ;' for it is
unto you, O men, that we call, and our voice is to the sons of
man, Prov. viii. 4. We have God's commission to preach this
gospel, and to make offer of this Christ to even) creature sprung
of Adam, Mark xvi. 15; and the event of the publication of
this gospel among sinners follows in the next words : " He that
believeth this gospel, shall be saved ; but he that believeth not,
shall be damned." No man ever died, or shall die under the
drop of the gospel, for want of a full warrant to embrace a
Saviour: no, no, sirs, your death and blood will be upon your
own heads ; your unbelief will be the great ground of your
condemnation. God will upbraid you at the great day with
this, that you had Christ in your offer, and would not embrace
him : " 1 called, but ye refused, I stretched out my hand, but
no man regarded, — therefore will I laugh at your calamity,
and mock when your fear cometh," Prov. i. 24, 26.

2. This embracing of Christ supposes the knowledge of
Christ ; for a man, when he believes, does not embrace a blind
bargain. Now, there is a twofold knowledge that faith ne-
cessarily supposes; namely, a knowledge of ourselves, and a
knowledge of Christ.

1st, I say it supposes the knowledge of ourselves, or a con-
viction and discovery of that sin and misery, thraldom and
bondage, we are reduced to, bv the breach of the first co*

18*

210 CHRIST UV THE BELIEVER'S ARMS. [SER.

venant. The law must be our schoolmaster, to bring us to
Christ. Without a discovery of sin and misery by the law, in
less or more, the sinner will never flee to him, who is " the
end of the law for righteousness." The man, in this case, is
just like a mariner at sea, sailing upon a broken and shat-
tered bottom, not far from a great rock : so long as he ap-
prehends his vessel to be good enough, or sufficient to carry
him to land, he will still cleave to it, refusing to throw him-
self upon the rock for safety ; but when the wind and waves
beat upon the ship, and break her in pieces, then, and never till
then, will he cast himself upon the rock. So is it here: while
the sinner apprehends he can do well enough upon the broken
foundation of a covenant of works, his own doings, and good
intentions, he will never betake himself to Christ " the Rock of
ages," but when a hail-storm sweeps down the refuge of lies, and
lets him see, that if he stay on this bottom of the law, he must
inevitably sink into the bottom of hell, then, and never till then,
will the man cry with the jailer, " Sirs, what must 1 do to be
saved ?" The same we see in Paul, Rom. vii. 9 : " I was alive
without the law once ; but when the commandment came, sin
revived, and I died." And, Gal. ii. 19 : "I through the law am
dead to the law, that I might live unto God." Thus, I say, em-
bracing of Christ necessarily supposes the knowledge and con-
viction of our lost condition by the law, or covenant of works.

2dly, It supposes or implies a knowledge of Christ, as the
blessed remedy of God's providing. And there is so much of
this goes into the very nature of faith, that we find it frequently
called by the name of k?wwledge, Is. liii. 11 : John xvii. 3. —
And this knowledge of Christ is not a bare speculative know-
ledge of him, attained by external revelation, or common il-
lumination; for there are many learned unbelievers: but it is
an internal saving knowledge of him, which comes by the
Spirit of wisdom and revelation, accompanying the external
discoveries of him in the gospel, which goes in to the nature
of true faith : " God, who commanded the light to shine out of
darkness, must shine in our hearts, giving the light of the
knowledge of the glory of God, in the face of Jesus Christ,"
2 Cor. iv. 6. He, as it were, strikes out a window in the
man's breast, which before wras like a dungeon of hellish dark-
ness ; and makes a beam of saving, humbling, and captivating
light to shine into it. And thus the man is " called out of
darkness into a marvellous light." And this light is called
the light of life, because with it, and by it, a new principle of
life is implanted in the soul : Eph. ii. 1 : u You hath he quiek-
ened, who were dead in trespasses and sins."

3. This embracing of Christ bears in it the soul's firm and
steady assent to the revelation of the gospel concerning Christ ;

IX.] CHRIST IN THE BELIEVER'S ARMS. 211

so that the man cannot but join issue with Paul, 1 Tim. i.
15: "This is a faithful saying, that Christ Jesus came into
the world to save sinners." Now, this assent of the soul to
the gospel revelation is not a bare historical assent, which
leans only to the testimony of man ; for thus reprobates may
and do believe: but it is such an assent, as is founded upon
the testimony of God, or his record concerning Christ in the
gospel. Hence it is called a "believing the record of God,"
a " setting to the seal that God is true." Faith that is of a
saving nature, will not venture upon any thing less than the
credit and authority of God himself: — Thus saiih the Lord, is
the ground and reason of the soul's assent. And this is a
firmer basis than heaven and earth ; for " the fashion of this
world passeth away, but the word of the Lord endureth for
ever ;" " righteousness is the girdle of his loins, and faithful-
ness the girdle of his reins." So that he will as soon cease to
be God, as cease to make good his word, which is ratified by
his oath ; these being the " two immutable things, wherein it
is impossible for God to lie."

4. Upon this, follows the receiving, embracing, or applying
act of faith. Christ being known in the light of the word and
Spirit, and the truth of the revelation concerning him assent-
ed to; the soul goes a degree farther, and, as it were, takes
him home into its arms and bosom, as a remedy every way
suited to the soul's malady and misery. This embracing and
appropriating act of faith is just, as it were, the soul's echo
to the call and offer of the gospel. I offer him for thy Sa-
viour, says God : and I embrace him as my Saviour, says faith:
I offer him for wisdom, to thee who art a fool, says God ; and
I embrace him for my wisdom, says faith: I offer him for thy
righteousness and justification, who art a condemned sinner,
says God ; and I embrace him as the Lord my righteousness,
says faith: I offer him for thy sanclijication, who art a polluted
filthy sinner, says God; and 1 embrace him for my sanctijica-
tion, says faith : I offer him for thy redemption, who art a law-
ful captive, says God; and I embrace him for my redemption,
and my all, says faith. Thus, I say, the soul echoes to the
voice of God in the gospel, when it believes, much like that,
Zech. xiii. 9 : "I will say, ft is my people ; and they shall
say, The Lord is my God." And this is what we call " the
assurance of faith," or an " appropriating persuasion," by
which the soul, as it were, takes seisin and i-nfeoffment upon
Christ, and all the blessings of his purchase as its own, upon
the ground of the gospel offer and promise. What lay be-
fore in common to all in the olfer, the soul brings home to it-
self in particular; and, just like Simeon, takes Christ in its
arms and bosom, saying, with Thomas, " My Lord, and my

212 CHRIST IN THE BELIEVER'S ARMS. [SER.

God." I do not say, that the first language of faith is, That
* Christ died for me,' or, ' I was elected from eternity :' no ;
but the language of faith is, < God offers a slain and crucified
Saviour to me, and I take the slain Christ for my Saviour;
and in my taking or embracing of him as offered, I have
ground to conclude, that I was elected, and that he died for
me in particular, and not before.' I shall only add, that this
appropriating act inseparably attends the knowledge and
assent before mentioned ; and that they are all jointly com-
prised in the general nature of saving faith ; which I take
up as an act of the whole soul, without restricting it to
any one faculty, or distinction as to priority or posteriority of
time.

Now, this saving faith, which I have been describing in its
essential acts, is variously expressed in the sacred oracles of
the scriptures of truth ; from which fountain alone our notions
of it are to be drawn: "To the law and to the testimony: if
they speak not according to this word, it is because there is
no light in them," Is. viii. 20.

1. Then, It is called a receiving of Christ: John i. 12:
" But as many as received him, to them gave he power to
become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his
name." Col. ii. 6 : "As ye have received Christ Jesus the
Lord, so walk ye in him." This expression of faith leads us
to conceive of Christ under the notion of a gift, freely of-
fered and presented to us in the gospel, and bears an ap-
propriation in the very nature of it; for where a man re-
ceives a gift, he takes it as his own, and it becomes his in pos-
session.

2. It is sometimes expressed by a resting or " rolling our-
selves on the Lord :" Psal. xxxvii. 5 : " Commit thy way unto
the Lord," or, as it reads in the margin, "Roll thy way upon
the Lord ;" and ver. 7 : " Rest in the Lord, and wait patient-
ly for him." Which expression may either allude to a poor
weary man, who is like to sink under a load, his legs not able
to bear him ; he leans or rests himself upon a strong rock,
which he is confident will not sink underneath. Faith, in its
justifying act, is not a working, but a resting grace. 'O!
says the poor soul, I am like to sink into the depths of hell,
under the weight of my iniquities; which "have gone over
my head, as a burden too heavy for me to bear :" but I lay
my help where God has laid it ; O ! " this is my rest." ' Hence
he that believes is said to "enter into his rest." Or, this
resting of the soul on Christ may allude to one's resting upon
a bond, or good security granted to him by a responsible per-
son ; he takes it as security to himself, and rests on the fide-
lity of him that grants it. So, in believing, we rest upon the

IX.] CHRIST IN THE BELIEVER'S ARMS. 213

veracity of a promising God in Christ, as a sufficient security
for the blessing promised.

3. It is called a " flying for refuge to the hope set before
us," Heb. vi. 18. In which there is an allusion to the man-
slayer under the law, who fled from " the avenger of blood."
The poor pursued man was not to turn aside to any of the
cities of Israel ; he was not to flee to his own home ; yea, he
was not to flee-to the temple; and to offer sacrifice; but he
was to flee straight to the city of refuge. So, in believing,
the soul is never to rest in any thing on this side of Christ,
who is " a hiding-place from the wind, and a covert from the
tempest :" the hail shall sweep away every other refuge.—
But as the man-slayer, when once within the gates of the city
of refuge, was in such safety, that he could freely speak with
the avenger of blood, without any manner of danger; so the
soul that is by faith got under the covert of the blood and
righteousness of Christ, is in such absolute safety, that it dares
speak to the law, and all its pursuers, saying with the apostle,
Rom. viii. 33, 34, " Who shall lay any thing to the charge of
God's elect? It is God that justifieth: who is he that con-
demneth 1 It is Christ that died," &c.

4. It is called a " submitting to the righteousness of God,"
Rom. x. 3. A very strange expression ! Shall it be thought
submission for a condemned criminal to accept of pardon from
his prince? or for a person that is stark naked, to accept of
a garment? The expression plainly points out the arrogant
pride of the heart of man. We arenas it were, mounted upon
an imaginary throne of our own righteousness by the law,
thinking, with Laodicea, that we are " rich, and stand in
need of nothing," disdaining to be obliged to another for right-
eousness: but now, when a man believes, all these towering
imaginations are levelled ; he is emptied of himself, and made
to ""count all things but loss and dung, that he may be found
in Christ, not having his own righteousness, but the righteous-
ness which is of God by faith," Phil. iii. 8, 9. The language
of the soul, submitting to the righteousness of God, is that of
the church, Is. xlv. 24: " Surely, shall one say, In the Lord
have I righteousness and strength."

5. It is called a " taking hold of God's covenant," Is. lvi. 4.
The covenant of grace, as it lies in the external dispensation
of the gospel, is like a rope cast into a company of drowning
men ; God comes by his ministers, crying to sinking sinners,
who are going down to the bottomless gulf of his wrath, Take
hold of my covenant, and of him whom 1 have given, for a co-
venant of the people ; and 1 will deliver you from going down
to the pit. Now, when a man believes, he, as it were, takes
hold of this rope of salvation, this covenant of grace and pro-

214 CHRIST IN THE BELIEVER'S ARMS. [sER.

mise ; and, like Jeremiah, when the cords were let down to
the pit by Ebed-melech, puts them under his arm-holes, and
lays his weight upon them. The poor soul, in this case, says
with David, speaking of the covenant of grace, This is all my
salvation ; here will I lay the weight of my sinking and pe-
rishing soul.

6. It is called a yielding ourselves unto the Lord, 2 Chron.
xxx. 8. Hezekiah, writing to the degenerate tribes, exhorts
them to yield themselves unto the Lord; or, as it is in the
Hebrew, Give the hand unto the Lord ; alluding to men who
have been at variance, when they come to an agreement, they
strike hands one with another, in token of- friendship. The
great God, the offended Majesty of Heaven, comes, in a gos-
pel dispensation, " stretching out his hand all the day long "
to rebellious sinners, crying, Behold me, behold me ; cast away
your rebellious arms, and be at peace with me. Now, when
a sinner believes, he, as it were, strikes hands with the Lord,
according to that promise, Is. xxvii. 5: "Let him take hold
of my strength, that he may make peace with me, and he
shall make peace with me."

7. It is called an opening of the heart to Christ, Cant. v. 2 ;
Rev. iii. 20; Acts xvi. 14. This expression imports, that as
the sinner's heart is by nature shut and bolted against the
Lord ; so, when he believes, the everlasting doors of the under-
standing, will, and affections, are " lifted up to the Lord of
hosts, the Lord mighty in battle," Psal. xxiv. 7.

8. It is sometimes called a buying, Is. lv. .1 : " Buy wine
and milk without money, and without price." Rev. iii. 18:
" I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire," &e. —
This buying does not import such a commutation, as if we
were to give to God an equivalent for his grace ; for it is a
buying " without money, and without price ;" it is a giving
of poverty for riches, emptiness for fulness, deformity for beau-
ty, guilt for righteousness, pollution for holiness, bondage for
liberty ; in a word, buying in Christ's market is nothing else
but taking: Rev. xxii. 17: "Whosoever will, let him come,
and take the water of life freely."

Many other expressions the Spirit of God makes use of in
the word, to [represent] the nature of faith. Sometimes it is
called, the substance of things hoped for, Heb. xi. 1 ; because faith,
as it were, realizes and substantiates the promise. Just like a
man, looking to bonds, charters, or any other securities; he will
say, ' There is my substance, and all my stock,' though they be
but bits of paper. So the believer, when looking on Christ, his
righteousness and fulness, as held forth in the free promise of
the gospel, will be ready to say, ' There is my substance and
everlasting all :' with David, he rejoiceth in God's word of pro-

IX.] CHRIST IN THE BELIEVER'S ARMS. 215

mise, as one lliatjindetk great spoil; yea, it is better to him than
gold, yea, than much fine gold. Again; it is called, in the same
verse, the evidence of things not seen. The word, in the ori-
ginal rendered evidence, signifies to convince to a demonstra-
tion. Faith, acting upon the promise, convinces the soul of
the reality of things invisible, as if they were before him, and
he saw them with his bodily eyes. And this sight of faith is
not such a sight as Balaam got of Christ, when he said, "I
shall see him, but not now: I shall behold him, but not nigh."
He saw him by the spirit of prophecy, as the Redeemer of
Israel; but not by the spirit of faith, as his Redeemer, as Job,
chap. xix. 25. Balaam saw him, without any personal interest;
but Job saw him as his own Redeemer, with appropriation : "I
know," says he, "that my Redeemer liveth." Again; in the 13th
verse of the same chapter, faith is called an embracing of the
promises, Heb. xi. 13. The word in the original signifies a
kindly salutation, or kissing; being an allusion to two dear
friends, who, when they meet, clasp one another in their arms,
in a most loving and affectionate manner. The grace of the
promise embraces the soul, and then the soul embraces the
promise, and hugs it, and Christ in it, in his arms. The reverse
of this is the case of the presumptuous hypocrite, who in
some sort embraces the promise indeed ; but the special grace
of the promise not having embraced him, he is like a man
taking a tree in his arms; he embraces the tree, but not the
tree him.

Again, faith is sometimes called an " eating the flesh, and
drinking the blood of the Son of man," John vi. 53; because
faith makes use of, and applies Christ for the life, nourishment,
and sustenance of the soul ; just as a man makes use of the
meat and drink that is set before him, for his bodily nourish-
ment. Let a man have ever such a rich feast before him,
yet he will inevitablv starve, unless he resort to it, and make
use of it; so, without faith's application of Christ and his ful-
ness, we inevitably die and perish. And O how sad to perish
in the midst of plenty !

Lastly, Faith is called a " trusting in the name of the Lord,"
Is. 1. 10, and xxvi. 3. We all know what it is to trust in a
man of honesty and integrity. When he passes his word, we
make no doubt, and have no hesitation concerning his per-
forming what he has promised ; so faith takes the promise, and
trusts the veracity of the Promisor ; as it is said of Abraham,
Rom. iv. 20, " He staggered not at the promise of God through
unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God." The
perfections of God, such as his power, holiness, goodness, but
especially his veracity, are pawned in the promise, as grounds
of trust. Hence we are to trust in his name : and when we

216 CHRIST IS THE BELIEVER'S ARMS. [sER.

trmt in him, and stay ourselves upon him, we are still to take
him up as our God in Christ ; for we can never trust him,
while we take him up as an enemy.

The second thing proposed, for opening up the first general
head in the method, was to give you some of the qualities of
this arm of faith.

1. It is a leaning and a staying arm : Cant. viii. 5 : " Who
is this that cometh up from the wilderness, leaning upon her
beloved ?" Is. xxvi. 3 : " Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace
whose mind is stayed on thee." It is the office of faith to un-
derprop the soul, when it is ready to be overwhelmed with
the burden of sin and sorrow, darkness and desertion : Psal.
xxvii. 13: "I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the
goodness of the Lord in the land of the living." It leans and
stays itself on him who is " the Strength of Israel, even the
man of God's right hand, whom he hath made strong for
himself." And thus it bears up the soul under the heaviest
pressures.

2. It is a winning and gaining arm. The apostle, Phil. iii.
8, 9, speaks of winning Christ and being found in him. And
it is said of the wise merchant, that he went and sold all that
he had, that he might buy or win the pearl of great price ; and
this pearl can be won no otherwise but by receiving it, John
i. 12. Faith is such a winning grace, that it is ever taking,
ever receiving out of Christ's fulness, grace for grace; it digs
into the Rock of ages, and makes up the poor soul with un-
searchable riches ; it maintains a traffic with heaven, travels
to the land afar off, and returns richly freighted and loaded
with the commodities of that better country.

3. It is a very wide and capacious arm. It is not little that
will fill the arm of faith : the whole world, and all the fulness
thereof, cannot fill the arm of faith: no, no; it flings them
away like dung, that it may get its arms filled with a God in
Christ: "I count all things but loss and dung, for the excel-
lency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord," Phil. iii. 8.
I may add, that heaven, and all the glories of Immanuel's
land, bear no bulk in the arm of faith without Christ, in whom
the fulness of the Goohead dwells: Psal. lxxiii. 25: "Whom
have I in heaven but thee? and there is none upon earth that
I desire besides thee."

4. It is a most tenacious arm ; its motto may be, gripe-
fast. As the arm of faith is wide, and takes in much ; so it
keeps, and gripes fast what it gets: Cant. iii. 4: "I held
him," says the spouse, " and would not let him go." Faith
is such a tenacious grace, that it will wrestle with an omni-
potent God, and refuse to yield to him when he seems to
shake himself loose of its gripes, as we see in the case of Ja-

IX.] CHRIST IN THE BELIEVER^ ARMS. 217

cob, Gen. xxxii. 24, and downward. There Jacob gets a
gripe by faith of the Angel of the covenant : the Angel says
to him, " Let me go," Jacob. A very strange word, for the
Creator to become a supplicant to his own creature ! Well,
what says Jacob's faith to this proposal? "I will not let thee
go, except thou bless me." As if he had said, ' Let the day
break, and let it pass on, let the night come, and let the day
break again; it is all one; lean Jacob and the living God
shall not part without the blessing.' To this purpose is that
of the prophet, Hos. xiu 3, 4 : « By his strength," namely, by
the strength of faith in prayer, "he had power with God:
yea, he had power over the angel, and prevailed : he wept
and made supplication unto him." O sirs! try to follow the
example of Jacob, and you shall be "fed with the heritage of
Jacob "your "father," Is. Iviii. 14. Thus, I say, faith is a
most griping and tenacious arm. The first gripe that faith
takes of Christ is so fast, that it never quits gripe of him again
through eternity : it unites the soul to Christ ; and the union
is so close and intimate through faith, that the man becomes
one body and one spirit with him, and so indissoluble, as that
*' neither death nor life, nor things present nor things to come,
shall ever be able to separate from the love of God in Christ
Jesus."

5. Hence it follows, that faith is a very bold and confident
arm. It has a great deal of assurance in it; for it will main-
tain its claim to Christ, upon the ground of the new covenant,
even when hell and earth, sense and reason, and all seems to
be against it ; it will trust in the name of the Lord, and stay
itself upon its God in covenant, even when the poor soul
walks in the darkness of desertion, in the darkness of temp-
tation, in the darkness of affliction, or even in the dark valley
of the shadow of death. Abraham's faith had much opposi-
tion to grapple with, when he got the promise of Isaac, and
in him of the promised seed, in whom all the nations of the
earth were to be blessed ; yet such was the confidence and as-
surance of his faith, that he stagsvrerf not at the promise. The
language of faith is, " When I fall, 1 shall arise; when I sit
in darkness, the Lord shall be a light unto me. He will bring
me forth to the light, and I shall behold his righteousness,"
Mic. vii. 8, 9. Yet I would not be here mistaken, as if the
poor believer did not apprehend Christ and the promise with
a tottering and trembling hand; nay, the believer, through
the prevalence of unbelief, is many times brought so low, as
to cry with the psalmist, " Will the Lord cast ofF for ever?
and will he be favourable no more ? Is his mercy clean gone
forever? doth his promise fail for evermore? Hath God
forgotten to be gracious? hath he in anger shut up his tender

VOL. I. 19

218 CHRIST IN THE BELIEVER'S ARMS. [SER.

mercies? Selah." Psal. lxxvii. 7 — 9. But let it be remem-
bered, that this was not his faith, but his infirmity, through
prevailing unbelief, which made him thus to stagger : for, let
faith but get rid of unbelief, let it get up its head, and allow
it to speak its proper language, its dialect will be, Abba, Fa-
ther, Rom. viii. 15 ; and, " Doubtless, thou art our Father,
though Abraham be ignorant of us, and Israel acknowledge
us not : thou, O Lord, art our Father, our Redeemer, thy
name is from everlasting."

6. It is a very patient and waiting arm ; for " he that be-
lie veth shall not make haste," Is. xxviii. 16. Faith, although
it firmly believes the accomplishment of the promise, yet it
wrill not limit the Holy One of Israel as to the time of its ac-
complishment: "I will wait upon the Lord that hideth his
face from the house of Jacob, and I will look for him," Is.
viii. 17. "The vision is for an appointed time; (and there-
fore, says faith,) though it tarry, wait for it, because it will
surely come, it will not tarry," Hab. ir. 3. Faith will not
draw rash or desperate conclusions, because the Lord hides
or defers his visits : no ; but it looks to God's word of pro-
mise, and grounds its confidence there, saying with the
church, " I will look unto the Lord : I will wait for the God
of my salvation: my God will hear me," Mic. vii. 7.

7. Faith is a feeding arm; it feeds upon the carcass of "the
Lion of the tribe of Judah ;" and thus, like Samson, gets its
" meat out of the eater, and sweetness out of the strong."
Hence, as you heard, it is called an eating of the flesh and a
drinking of the blood of Christ: and in this view Christ is pre-
sented to us in the sacrament of the supper, lake, eat; this is
my body. There was a part of the sacrifices under the law
reserved for food to the priests, when the rest was burnt upon
the altar: believers are spiritual priests to God, and they live
upon the altar, and that blessed "passover that was sacrificed
for us."

8. It is not an idle, but a working arm. Indeed, in its
justifying act it is not a working, but only a taking, or a
resting arm : it is like the beggar's hand, that takes the alms,
without working for it. In justification, faith is a passive or
recipient kind of an instrument ; but, in sanctitication, it is an
active or an efficient kind of instrument. It is such an ac-
tive arm in sanctitication, that it "purifies the heart," and
actuates and animates all the other graces of the Spirit; it
" works by love," it works by repentance, it works by hope,
it works by patience, it works by obedience ; and " faith with-
out works is dead, as the body without the spirit is dead."
In a word, the whole of gospel obedience, is " the obedience
of faith;" and the obedience that flows not from faith is but
" dead works," which cannot be acceptable to a " living God."

IX.J CHRIST IN THE BELIEVER'S ARMS. 219

9. Faith is a fighting and warlike arm : In Heb. xi. 34, it
is said of the worthies there, that they by faith, " waxed va-
liant in fight :" yea, it is not only a fighting, but a victorious
arm ; for it " puts to flight the armies of the aliens." It is by
faith leaning on the arm of Omnipotence, that the believer's
bow abides in its strength, and the arms of his hands become
strong, to break bows of steel in pieces. By faith we quench
the fiery darts of hell, and trample upon the powers of dark-
ness ; by faith we overcome the world, and set the moon un-
der our feet. Yes, this gallant grace of faith will take up the
spoils of Christ's victory over sin and Satan, hell and death,
and triumph in his triumphs, even while it is in the field of
battle, and seemingly overcome by the enemy. " Thanks be
unto God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ."
My Head and General, says faith, has overcome, and I have
already overcome in him ; for " we are more than conquerors
through him that loved us," Rom. viii. 37.

10. Lastly, Faith is a saving arm : " He that belie veth shall
be saved." There is an inseparable connexion established,
by the ordination of Heaven, between faith and salvation,
John. iii. 16: "Whosoever believeth, shall not perish, but
have everlasting life." Although, indeed, there is no connex-
ion of causality, yet there is an undoubted connexion of or-
der. Faith cannot but carry salvation along with it, seeing
it takes up Christ the salvation of God in its arms, as you see
Simeon did.

The third thing proposed here was, to inquire how this
arm of faith embraces Christ 1 In general, I answer, it em-
braces him just as God offers him in the gospel. There is
a manifest proportion betwixt God's offer, and faith's recep-
tion of Christ ; which I shall illustrate in the four following
particulars : —

1. Christ is freely offered in the gospel, Is. Iv. 1; Rev. xxii.
17 ; so faith embraces him as the free gift of God. There
is a natural propensity in the heart of man, to give something
or other of our own, by way of exchange or equivalent, for
Christ, and the blessings of his purchase. Proud nature can-
not think of being so much, beholden to God, as to take Christ
and salvation from him for nothing at all; and therefore it
would always be bringing in this or the other qualification,
as a price in its hand to fit it for Christ ; I must be so peni-
tent, so humble, so clean and holy before I come to Christ,
and then I will be welcome, he will pardon and save me.
But, sirs, whatever you may think of it, this is but a remnant
of the old covenant of works, and all one as if a man should
say, I must first heal myself before I go to the physician ; I
will first wash myself clean, before I go to the " fountain

220 CHRIST IN THE BELIEVER'S ARMS. [sER.

opened up for sin and for uncleanness." Beware of this, for
it is a secret subverting of the order and method which God
has established in the covenant of grace; this being the very-
money and price which he forbids ns to bring to the market
of free grace. Faith argues at another rate in its embracing
of Christ: 'O!' says the poor soul, 'I am adiseased sinnerfrom
the sole of the foot to the crown of the head; and this quali-
fies me for the Physician of souls : I am a polluted sinner,
black, like the Ethiopian, spotted like the leopard ; and there-
fore I will go to the fountain : I am naked ; and therefore I
will take the white raiment offered me, to cover the shame
of my nakedness : I am blind ; and therefore I will take the
eve-salve, which recovers sight to the blind.' Thus, 1 say,
faith embraces Christ as he is freely offered.

2. Christ is fully and u-holly offered in the gospel; and ac-
cordingly faith embraces him wholly without dividing him.
I own, indeed, that the first flight of faith is to Christ as a Sa-
viour, Christ as priest, fulfilling the law, satisfying justice,
and thereby bringing in everlasting righteousness ; this being
the only thing that can answer the present strait and neces-
sity of the soul, under the awful apprehensions of vindictive
justice and wrath ; and therefore thither it flees for refuge,
in the first act of believing. But now, although faith at first
fixes upon Christ as a priest; yet at the same time it embraces
him as a prophet, submitting to his instruction, and subjects
itself to him as a king, receiving the law from his mouth:
<0!' says the soul, ' " I am more brutish than any man, and
have not the understanding of a man ;" but this Saviour " has
pity on the ignorant, and them that are out of the way :" he
opens the book, and looses the seven seals thereof;" and there-
fore I will sit down at his feet, and receive the whole revela-
tion of the mind and will of God from him : I am a poor cap-
tive and vassel of hell ; "Other lords have had dominion over
me, but," now " I will make mention of his name:" he is
"my Judge, my Lawgiver, and my King," even he that
" saves me." ' Thus, I say, the arm of faith embraces a
whole Christ. ' There is nothing of Christ,' says the soul, ' that
1 can want ; I must have him all, and have him all as mine
own, as my Prophet, my Priest, and my King. And herein
the faith of the hypocrite, or temporary believer, comes short
of the faith of God's elect. The hypocrite, halves Christ, or
else inverts the order of his office, in his way of receiving
him: either he receives him as a Saviour, only to keep him
out of hell, but waves the acceptance of him as a King to
rule him; or else he professedly subjects himself to Christ's
authority as a King and a Lawgiver, hoping, upon that
score, that Christ will save him, by his blood and righteous-

IX.] CHRIST IN THE BELIEVER'S ARMS. 221

ness, as a priest ; and [thus endeavours to] make up the de
fects of his lame obedience ; which is, upon the matter, to
" put a piece of new cloth unto an old garment, whereby the
rent is made worse."

3. God gives Christ cordially and affectionately in the gos-
pel : his very heart, as it were, goes out after sinners, in the
call and offer of it. It is not possible to conceive any thing
more affectionate, than the word in which he bespeaks sinners:
Ezek. xxxiii. 11 : " As I live, saith the Lord God, I have no
pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn
from his way and live: turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways;
for why will ye die, O house of Israel !" Hos. xi. 8 : " How
shall I give thee up, Ephraim? how shall I deliver thee, Israel?
how shall I make thee as Admah? how shall I set thee as
Zeboim? mine heart is turned within me; my repentings are
kindled together." Is. lv. 1 — 3 : " Ho, every one that thirsteth,
come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money ; come ye,
buy and eat, yea, come, buy wine and milk without money,
and without price. Wherefore do ye spend money for that
which is not bread? and your labour for that which satisfieth
not 1 hearken diligently unto me, and eat ye that which is good,
and let your soul delight itself in fatness. Incline your ear,
and come unto me: hear, and your soul shall live, and I will
make an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mer-
cies of David." Now, I say, as God offers Christ most affec-
tionately and cordially, in like manner does faith embrace
him. He embraces a whole Christ, with the whole heart and
soul; the love, joy, delight, and complacency of the soul, run
out upon him as their very centre of rest : and these affections,
like so many springs of gospel obedience, set all the members
of the body at work in his service; so^hat the head will study
for him, the hand work for him, the feet run his errands,
and the tongue be ready to plead his cause.

4. Christ is offered particularly, to every man. There is
not a soul hearing me, but, in God's name, I offer Christ to
him, as if called by name and surname. Now, as the offer
is particular to every individual person, so faith embraces
Christ with particular application to the soul itself. When I
embrace a Saviour, I do not embrace for salvation to another
man; no, but I embrace him as my Saviour, for salvation to
my own soul in particular. Beware, my friends, of a general
doubtsome faith, abjured in our national covenant as a branch
of Popery. A general persuasion of the mercy of God in
Christ, and of Christ's ability and willingness to save all that
come to him, will not do the business ; no, devils and repro-
bates may, and do actually believe it. There must therefore
of necessity be a persuasion and belief of this, with particular

19*

222 CHRIST IN THE BELIEVER'S ARMS. [SER.

application thereof to a man's own soul ; for if the mercy of
God in Christ be offered to every man in particular, then
surely faith, which, as I was saying, is but the echo of the
soul to the gospel call, must embrace Christ, and the mercy
of God in him, with particular application to itself, otherwise
it does not answer God's offer ; consequently, cannot be of a
saving nature. So much for the first general head proposed
in the prosecution of the doctrine.

II. The second thing proposed was, to take notice of some of
these songs, which readily the soul has in its mouth, when, like
Simeon, it gets Christ embraced in the arms of faith. We are
said to be "filled with all joy and peace in believing;" by
faith in an unseen Christ, the soul is replenished zcithjoy un-
speakable, and full of glory. And when this is the soul's case,
it cannot but bless God, as Simeon did, and vent its heart in
these or the like songs of praise.

1. It cannot but bless him for electing and everlasting love.
Faith's embraces of Christ help the soul to trace the streams
of divine love to their fountain head, and to read its own
name in the book of life, among the living in Jerusalem. ' O
blessed be God,' will the soul say, ' that ever I, wretched I, mi-
serable I, should have been upon God's heart, before the foun-
dations of the world were laid : " Glory to God in the highest,"
who hath "drawn me with loving-kindness," by which I know
that he " hath loved me with an everlasting love." '

2. The soul, in such a case, cannot but bless God for Christ,
and redeeming love through him, saying with the apostle,
" Thanks be unto him for his unspeakable gift." Glory to
him in the highest, that "unto us a child is born, unto us a
son is given, whose name is Wonderful, Counsellor, the Migh-
ty God, the everlasting Father, the Prince of peace." And
then when the soul views the glorious retinue of blessings that
come along with Christ, it cannot shun to join issue with the
apostle in his triumphant doxologv, Eph. i. 2, saying, "Bless-
ed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath
blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in
Christ." And there are these few, among innumerable bless-
ings, that come along with Christ, for which the soul will rea-
dily bless God, in the case mentioned.

1st, ' O blessed be God,' will the soul say, ' that in Christ he
is become my God, even my own God. I was once without
God in the world; but O what a happy turn is this! Now I
can view him in Christ, and say, " He is my God, my Father,
and the Rock of my salvation; the portion of my cup: and
therefore the lines are fallen unto me in pleasant places; yea,
I have a goodly heritage." '

2dly, ' Q blessed be God?' will the soul say, ' that in Christ the

IX.] CHRIST IN THE BELIEVER'S ARMS. 223

fiery tribunal is turned into a mercy-seat by his obedience and
death. The law and justice having got a complete satisfac-
tion, a way is made for the empire of sovereign grace : so that
now " grace reigns through righteousness unto eternal life, by
Jesus Christ, our Lord," Rom. v. 21. And as it is the will of
God that grace should reign, so it is the desire of my soul, to
make this name of his to be remembered to all generations.
O let grace wear the crown, and sway the sceptre for ever;
and let all the hallelujahs of the higher house be " to the
praise of the glory of his grace." '

3dly, ' O blessed be God,' will the soul say, ' that in Christ he
has " blotted out all mine iniquities, as a cloud, and as a thick
cloud." There was a cloud of sin pregnant with wrath ho-
vering above my head ; but in Christ I see it scattered : "We
have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of
sins." And therefore, " Bless the Lord, O my soul : and all
that is within me, bless his holy name. Who forgiveth all
thine iniquities." '

4thly, ' O blessed be God,' will the soul say, ' that in Christ I
am blessed with an everlasting and law-abiding righteousness.
Christ, my ever-blessed Surety, was made under the lav:, and
has magnified it, and made it honourable ; and the Lord is u-ell
pleased for his righteousness'' sake ; and in him, and through him,
the righteousness of the lazv is fulfilled in me : and, therefore,
" I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my soul shall be joyful in
my God ; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salva-
tion, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a
bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride
adorneth herself with her jewels," ' Is. lxi. 10.

5thly, 'O blessed be God,' will the soul say, ' that in Christ he
is become a Father of the fatherless, and blessed me with the
blessing of adoption and sonship. I may seal it, from my ex-
perience, that "in him the fatherless findcth mercy." I was
like an outcast infant and helpless orphan, but the everlasting
Father took me up, and " gave a place and a name in his
house, and within his walls, better than of sons and of daugh-
ters, even an everlasting name that shall not be cut off Be-
hold what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon
me, that I should be called a son of God," ' 1 John iii. 1.

Qthly, ' O glory to God,' will the soul say, ' for the open door
of " access into the holiest by the blood of Jesus." The door
was once barred against me and all Adam's posterity, by the
breach of the first covenant ; but in Christ it is again opened,
so that we may "come boldly unto the throne of grace, that
we may obtain mercy, and tind grace to help in time of need."
An incarnate Deity is now become the way to God and glory.'

I might tell you of many other blessings that the soul is

224 CHRIST IN THE BELIEVER S ARMS. [SER.

ready to bless God for, when it gets Christ in the arms of
faith ; but I do not insist. I conclude this head by referring
you to two or three scriptural songs which will readily occur
in such a case. The first you have, 1 Pet. i. 3, 4 : " Blessed
be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who, ac-
cording to his abundant mercy, hath begotten us again unto
a lively hope, by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the
dead, to an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that
fadeth not away," &.c. Another you have, Rom. viii. 33, to
the end of the chapter: "Who shall lay any thing to the
charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth : who is he
that condemneth ?'' &c. A third you have, 1 Cor. xv. 55,
56: "O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy
victory ?" &c. Another, with which I conclude this head, is
that which concludes the Bible, Rev. xxii. 20 : " Even so,
come, Lord Jesus."

III. The third -thing proposed was, to inquire whence it is
that faith's embraces of Christ thus fill the mouth with praise?

Answ. 1. This flows from the certainty that is in faith.
Faith is not a doubting grace; no, doubts and jealousies va-
nish before it, as the clouds and darkness of the night va-
nish at the appearance of the sun. And the certainty of
faith flows from the stability of these foundations upon which
it builds, which are more firm than the pillars of heaven, and
the foundations of the earth. It builds upon the word of God,
the oath of God, the blood of God, the righteousness of God,
the power of God, the veracity of God : and seeing it builds
upon such immoveable foundations, how can it miss to have a
certainty in it proportioned, in some measure, to the grounds
upon which it stands? And hence it comes, that it fills the
mouth with praise. Let news be ever so good, yet if we
have no certainty in our belief of them, it exceedingly mars
our joy and comfort. But as regards the glad tidings of the
gospel, they are no flying uncertain reports ; no, it is God,
that cannot lie, who speaks: and thence comes the certainty
of faith.

2. This flows from the applying and appropriating nature
of faith ; which I hinted at already. Let news be ever so
true, though ever so great and good, yet if we have no inte-
rest or concern in them, it mars the sweetness and comfort
of them. Tell a poor man of mountains of gold and silver,
what relief will that afford him, if he has no access to it, or
interest in it? But tell him, that all these treasures are his,
and that he has the owner's warrant and command to take
and use them as his own, this will make him rejoice indeed.
Tell a hungry and starving man of a rich feast or banquet ;
what is that to him, if he be not allowed to taste it ? Tell a

IX.] CHRIST IN THE BELIEVER'S ARMS. 225

naked man, exposed to the injuries of the wind and weather,
of fine robes and excellent garments ; what will it avail him,
if they be not for him, or for his use 1 But tell the hungry-
man that the feast is for him ; and the naked man that the
clothing is for him, this will create joy and triumph. So,
here, the gospel report does not tell us of a Saviour and sal-
vation that we have no interest in ; no, it tells us, that to us
is the word of this salvation sent; that wito its is this child born,
unto us is this son given : that he is " made of God unto us
wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemp-
tion ;" and that, as the great Trustee of Heaven, he " re-
ceived gifts for men ; yea, for the rebellious also." Now,
faith, accordingly, applies all these good news, this Saviour,
and his whole salvation, to itself in particular. And hence
it comes, that it fills the heart with joy, and the tongue with
praise.

3. This flows from that sensible assurance of God's love,
and of grace and salvation, which commonly follows upon
believing; according to what you have, Eph. i. 13: "After
that ye believed, ye were sealed with the Holy Spirit of pro-
mise." There is a certainty of sense, which very frequently
accompanies or follows upon the certainty of faith, as a na-
tural fruit of it ; and yet is not of the nature and essence of
it, because there may be true faith where there is not this
sensible or reflex assurance of grace and salvation. The
certainty of faith is built upon the word of God, the record of
God, and the promise of God, wThich is a believing, because
God hath spoken : Psal. lx. 6, 7, compared. God had made
a promise of the kingdom to David, " God hath spoken in his
holiness," says he, " I will rejoice ;" and, in the faith of this
word of promise, he speaks with such certainty, as if he were
already in possession, " Gilead is mine, and Manasseh is
mine," &c. But now the certainty of sense is a knowing
that we have believed, or the soul's reflecting upon its own
act of believing. The certainty of faith is like the certainty
that a man has of his money in a good and sufficient bond,
or the certainty that a man has of his estate, by a good and
sufficient charter ; he rests upon his bonds and charters as
good securities to him. But the certainty of sense is like the
certainty that a man has of his money, when he is handling
it with his fingers, or taking in his rents. By the certainty
of faith, Abraham believed, without staggering, because he
had God's word of promise for it; but by the certainty of
sense, he knew it, when he saw Sarah delivered of his son
Isaac, and got him in his arms. Now, I say, faith commonly
produces this sensible assurance, sweet and reviving experi-
ences of the Lord's love to our souls : and hence it comes,
that it fills the mouth with praise.

226 CHRIST IN THE BELIEVER'S ARMS. [SER.

IV. The fourth thing was, the application of the doctrine.
And the first use shall be of information. This doctrine in-
forms us,

1. Of the excellency of the grace of faith. It cannot but
be an excellent grace, because it embraces precious Christ.
Hence it is, that God puts such an estimate upon it, that he
cares for nothing we do, if that be wanting: " Without faith
it is impossible to please God : Whatsoever is not of faith, is
sin." Suppose it were possible for a man to attain such a
pitch of morality, as to be, touching the law, blameless ; yet
all his obedience, moral and religious, stands for a cipher in
God's reckoning ; yea, is like the cutting off a dog's neck, and
the offering of swine's blood upon God's altar, if faith be want-
ing. Thus, then, I say, faith is an excellent grace, of abso-
lute necessity in order to our acceptance before God. Only
let it be here carefully remembered, that it is not the act of
faith, but its glorious and ever-blessed object, Jesus Christ,
whom it embraces, that renders us acceptable to God. In
point of acceptance, faith renounces its own actings, and
looks for acceptance only " in the Beloved :" it " rejoiceth
in Christ Jesus" only, and has " no confidence in the flesh."

2. See from this doctrine what a happy and privileged
person the believer is. He gets Christ the Lamb of God in
the embraces of his soul ! and O what can the most enlarged
heart or soul of man wish for more ! This was the one thing
that David desired, Psal. xxvii. 4. We. read of one in the
gospel that said to Christ, " Blessed is the womb that bare
thee, and the paps which thou hast sucked ;" to which Christ
answered, " Yea, rather blessed are they that hear the word
of God and keep it," Luke xi. 27, 28. And who are they
that hear the word of God and keep it, but believers, who
have him " formed in their hearts," and clasped in the arms
of faith 1 for he that thus hath the Son, hath life. And, con-
cerning such, I may say, as Moses said concerning Israel,
Deut. xxxiii. 29 : " Happy art thou, O Israel : who is like
unto thee, O people, saved by the Loi'd !" Notice the expres-
sion, they are a people already saved, they have everlasting
life. That day that Christ comes into the heart, the salvation
of God comes, as it is said to Zaccheus, " This day is salva-
tion come to thy house."

3. See, from this doctrine, the true way of joy and comfort.
Perhaps there may be some poor soul going mourning with-
out the sun, saying, " Oh that I were as in months past."
Once in a day I thought I could say, " The candle of the
Lord shined upon my head ;" but, alas ! the scene is now al-
tered ; " the Comforter that should relieve my soul is far from
me :" how shall I recover my wonted joy in the Lord 1 Well,

IX.] CHRIST IN THE BELIEVER'S ARMS. 227

here is the way to it ; go forth out of yourselves, by a direct
act of faith ; take Christ anew, in the embraces of your souls,
upon the free call and offer of the gospel ; and, with Simeon,
you shall be made to bless God. It is the wreck of the com-
fort of the generality of God's people, in our day, that they
continue poring within themselves, upon their frames, their
graces, their experiences, their attainments, without going
forth, by faith, to the fulness of a Redeemer for relief. And
while we do so, we are just like mariners at sea: while they
sail among shallow waters, near the shore, they are always
afraid of striking upon rocks, or running upon sands, because
they want deepness of water ; but when they launch forth into
the main ocean, they are delivered of these fears, being carried
far above rocks and sands : so while the believer continues
among the shallow waters of his graces, duties, experiences,
and attainments, he cannot miss to be harassed with continual
fears, because the waters of divine grace are but ebb, while
we stay there ; but when by faith we launch out into that full
ocean of grace that is in Christ, then fears, doubts, and per-
plexities vanish; the soul is carried up above all these, being
strong, not in the created grace that is in itself, but " in the
grace that is in Christ Jesus, in whom dwells all the fulness of
the Godhead." So then, I say, if you would surmount your
fears, and recover your joy and comfort in the Lord, study
to " live by faith upon the Son of God;" for we are " filled
with joy and peace in believing."

4. From this doctrine we may gather what a lightsome
place heaven will be, where the soul shall live in Christ's em-
braces for ever. If the believer's heart be so refreshed when
he gets Christ embraced by faith, what overpowering floods
of joy must flow upon his soul, when he comes to immediate
fruition, where no clouds shall ever intercept the rays of the
Sun of righteousness from him, through an endless eternity !
No wonder, though sometimes the believer break forth into
such longing expressions, when he thinks of immediate enjoy-
ment, as that of Paul : " I desire to depart, and to be with
Christ ; which is far better."

Use 2d, may be of trial. Sirs, you have been in the temple
this day ; I would ask, Have you seen the Lord's Messiah
there 1 Have you got him, like Simeon, in the arms and em-
braces of faith? O ! say you, how shall I know if I ever had
him in my arms ! For answer, take these following things as
marks: —

1. If ever you have embraced Christ, Christ has embraced
you first ; for there is a mutual embracing betwixt Christ and
the believer, and it begins on Christ's side ; he first gripes the
soul by his Spirit, before the soul gripes him by faith : Phil.

228 CHRIST IN THE BELIEVER^ ARMS. [sER.

iii. 12: "I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for
which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus.*' ' O ! ' will the
soul say, 'I was wandering, like a lost sheep, among the moun-
tains of vanity ; I had gone into a far country, with the prodi-
gal, and never had a thought of Christ, till he, by his sove-
reign grace, seized and drew me with the cords of victorious
love and grace, and then my heart grasped and apprehended
him.' Never a soul yet came really to believe in Christ, but
will be ready to own, that it was not free will, but free grace
that began the work : " No man can come to me, except the
Father, which hath sent me, draw him."

2. If ever you had Christ really in the embraces of faith,
you have been made to quit the embraces of other lovers :
" Ephraim shall say, What have I to do any more with idols V9
Particularly, have you been made to part with the law as a hus-
band ? Rom. vii. 4 : "Ye are become dead to the law by the
body of Christ; that ye should be married to a better husband,
even to him who is raised from the dead." O sirs ! it is a
harder business than many are aware of, to make a divorce
between a sinner and the law, so as to make him renounce all
hopes of salvation and righteousness from that quarter. It is
much easier to pull his lusts out of his arms, than to pull the
law, as a husband, out of his embraces. And the reason of
this is plain, because the law gives a promise of life to them
that obey it, " He that doth these things, shall live in them ;"
which sin and lust cannot do, in regard they carry the stamp
of hell and wrath visibly upon them, to the eye of a natural
conscience. So that it is much easier to convince a man that
his sin is an evil thing, than to convince him that his righte-
ousness is so : hence Christ tells the Pharisees, those self-righ-
teous wretches, " that publicans and harlots should enter into
the kingdom of God before them." Publicans and harlots,
and such sort of persons, lie more open to the sharp arrows
of conviction, than self-righteous persons, who make, as
it were, a barricado of the law itself, and their obedience to
it, behind which they lie, intrenched and fortified, against all
the curses and threatenings of the law that are denounced
against them ; they still take the law for a friend, while they
obey it as well as they can, never dreaming that nothing will
satisfy the law, but an obedience that is every way complete.
But now, I say, if ever you have embraced Christ, you have
been made to part with the law as a covenant, and with your
own righteousness by the law, as " filthy rags," saying with
Paul, " I through the law am dead to the law." At the same
time that the soul quits the embraces of the law as a husband,
it parts with "other lovers" also. The first view of Christ
by faith, makes all the twinkling stars of created enjoyments

IX.] CHRIST IN THE BELIEVER'S ARMS. 229

to vanish and disappear ; so that the soul joins issue with
David, Psal. ixxiii. 25. Whom have I in heaven but thee ? and
there is none upon earth that I desire besides thee.

3. If ever Christ was in the embraces of thy soul, thou
mayest know it by the desirable concomitants and effects
thereof. I shall not stand upon them; only, in so many words.
Your estimate of Christ will be raised ; for " unto you which
believe he is precious." Your love to him will be inflamed ;
for " faith worketh by love." Your joy and peace will be in-
creased ; for " believing, we rejoice with joy unspeakable, and
full of glory." Heart-holiness will be promoted; for "faith
purifieth the heart." And, in a word, your souls will make
their boast in him ; for " in him shall all the seed of Israel be
justified, and shall glory."

Use 3r/, shall be of exhortation to all in general. Sirs, be-
fore we part this evening, I would fain have every soul hear-
ing ine, going home with the great Messiah, the Son of God,
in the arms and embraces of their souls ; and then I am sure
you would go away, blessing God that ever you come here.
We must deal with you as reasonable creatures, and persuade
you in a moral way: and when we are so doing, look up to
God for the concurring efficacy of his Holy Spirit, whose
prerogative it is to persuade and enable you to embrace Je-
sus Christ, as he is offered to you in the gospel. And there-
fore, by way of motive, consider,

1. The absolute need you have of this Christ, whom we
offer to you. Without him you are "condemned already;"
without him you are " without God in the world ; God is an-
gry with you every day ; the law and justice of God, like the
avenger of blood, is pursuing you. And therefore, O sinners,
flee to a Saviour, " Turn ye to your strong hold, ye prisoners
of hope."

2. Consider the matchless excellency of that Saviour whom
we call you to embrace. Angels and men are at an everlast-
ing stand to speak of his worth and glory ; he is best known
by his own and his Father's testimony concerning him ; and
if you would know the record of God concerning him, search
the scriptures, for these are they that testify of him : it is in
this glass that " we behold his glory, the glory as of the only
begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth." I despair,
that ever a sinner will embrace Christ, till there be an up-
taking of his personal excellency, as Immanuel God-man.
There is a seeing of the Son, which, in order of nature, al-
though not in order of time, goes before the soul's believing
in him, John vi. 40.

3. Consider the ability and sufficiency of this Saviour whom
we call you to embrace. Take the Father's testimony of his

vol. i! 20

230 CHRIST IN THE BELIEVER'S ARMS. [SER.

ability, Psal. Ixxxix. 20 : "I have laid help upon one that is
mighty." Take his own testimony, Is. lxiii. 1 : " I that speak
in righteousness, mighty to save." Take the Spirit's testimo-
ny, in the mouth of the apostle Paul, Heb. vii. 25 ; declaring
him " able to save them to the uttermost, that come unto
God by him." Thus, you have the " three that bear record in
heaven," attesting the sufficiency of this Saviour. O, then,
" set to your seal, that God is true, by believing the record
that God gives of his Son ;" for if you do not, your unbelief
gives the lie to a whole Trinity, 1 John v. 10, 11.

4. Consider that this sufficient Saviour is the sent of God.
This is a designation given to Christ thirty or forty times in
the gospel according to John, and the ordinary argument
with which Christ persuades sinners to embrace and receive
him. And nothing could have greater influence than this de-
signation, if the weight of it were but duly weighed. O con-
sider in what quality and capacity his Father has sent him :
shall not God's Ambassador-extraordinary get a hearing
among a company of condemned rebels ? He is sent as a
Redeemer to liberate captives ; and shall not captives em-
brace him ? He is sent as a Surety ; and will not debtors
and bankrupts embrace a cautioner 1 He is sent as a Phy-
sician ; and will not the wounded and diseased sinner embrace
him, and his healing balm? &,c.

5. Consider, that his heart and his arms are open and
ready to embrace all that are willing to be embraced by him.
O, may the soul say, fain would I embrace him, but I doubt
of his willingness to embrace me. I tell you good news ; he
is more willing to embrace you by far, than you are to be
embraced by him. He says he is willing and you may be-
lieve his word, for he is, " the Amen, the faithful and true
Witness ;" and he says, that he will cast out none that come
to him : he swears he is willing, and will you not believe his
oath? Ezek. xxxiii. 11 : "As I live, saith the Lord God, I
have no pleasure in the death of the wicked; but that the
wicked turn from his way, and live." Pray tell me, why did
he engage from eternity, and voluntarily give his hand to the
Father in the council of peace, saying, " Lo, I come: — I de-
light to do thy will, O my God ?" Why did he assume the
nature of man, and the sinless infirmities of it? Why did
he who is the great Lawgiver, subject himself to his own
Law ? Why did he who is the Lord of life and glory, sub-
mit to the stroke of death ignominiously upon a cross ? Why
does he send out his ministers to you, with call upon call ?
Why does he wait all the day long, saying, " Behold me, be-
hold me ?" Why does he expostulate the matter with you ?
Why is he grieved at the obstinacy of your hearts, if he be

IX.] CHRIST IX THE BELIEVER'S ARMS. 231

not willing that you should embrace him 1 For the Lord's
sake, therefore, consider these things, and do not " reject the
counsel of God against yourselves."

6. Consider what a glorious train and retinue of blessings
come along with him, when he is embraced in the arms of
faith: such as pardon of sin; Heb. viii. 12; peace with God,
Rom. v. 1 ; a complete justifying righteousness, Rom. viii. 3,
4; adoption and sonship, John i. 12; sanctification, both in
the root and fruit of it, 1 Cor. i. 30 ; saving knowledge of
God, and the mysteries of his covenant, 2 Cor. iv. 6; the
crown of eternal glory at last, John iii. 16. All these might
be particularly enlarged on ; but I do not insist, but proceed
to obviate some objections that some may make against com-
plying with this exhortation.

Object. 1. Some poor soul may be ready to say, ' Gladly
would I embrace Christ, with my very soul ; but still I enter-
tain a jealousy of my right and warrant to meddle with the
unspeakable gift of God ; he is such a great good, that I am
afraid it would be but presumption in me to attempt the em-
bracing of him.' Now, for removing any jealousies of this
nature, I shall lay before you a few of these warrants, upon
which a lost sinner may receive and embrace this Saviour.

1. Let desperate and absolute necessity be your warrant.
You must cither do or die; there is no medium: "He that
believeth, shall be saved ; but he that believeth not, shall be
damned." Do not stand to dispute the matter ; there is no
time, no, not one moment of time, in which a man is allowed
to toss this question in his breast, after the revelation of
Christ to him in the gospel ; Shall I believe, or shall I not 1
Or, if you will dispute the matter, will you argue as the Sa-
maritan lepers did: " If we sit still here, we perish ; but if we
go into the camp of the Assyrians, peradventure we shall
live." So you, ' If we sit still in this sinful and miserable con-
dition, without God, and without Christ in the world, we un-
avoidably perish ; but if we throw ourselves into the arms of
a Redeemer, and upon the mercy of God in him, beyond
peradventure we shall be saved.' And therefore, I say, let
absolute necessity be your warrant.

2. Venture to embrace this Saviour in the arms of faith,
upon the warrant of the very design of his incarnation. Why
is there a Saviour provided 1 Why was he manifested in the
flesh ? Upon what errand was he sent into the world, but
" to seek and save that which was lost?" Well, since this is
the very design of God in giving a Saviour, that sinners
might be saved by him ; what can be more agreeable to him,
or his Father that sent him, than that a lost sinner should
embrace and receive him 1

232 CHRIST 1IV THE BELIEVER^ ARMS. [sEK.

3. Let the revelation of this incarnate Deity, in the glo-
rious gospel, be your warrant to embrace and receive him :
a bare revelation of a Saviour, without any more, is enough
to induce a sinner to believe in him. Why was the brazen
serpent in the wilderness lifted up on the pole, but that every
one in the camp of Israel, who were stung with the fiery ser-
pents, might look to it, and be healed 1 The very lifting up
of the brazen serpent was a sufficient warrant to any man
to look to it : so the Son of man, being lifted up on the pole
of the everlasting gospel, warrants every man to believe in
him, John iii. 14, 15.

4. Besides the revelation of Christ, you have a full, free,
and unhampered offer of him in the external call of the gos-
pel ; and this directed to every one, without exception, Is. lv.
1 — 3; Rev. xxii. 17; Mark xvi. 15; Prov. viii. 4. Sirs, we
offer a Christ to you, and the whole fulness of grace and
glory, merit and Spirit, that is in him, as the free gift of God,
without the money and price of your own works and quali-
fications ; if you bring any such price, to make a purchase
of the pearl of great price, you shall lose him for ever : God
loves to give his Christ freely, but he scorns to receive any
thing for him. Let this then be your warrant, that Christ is
gifted and offered of God in this gospel : and let it be remem-
bered, that in the matter of a gift, there is no difference be-
tween man and man ; the poorest, as well as the richest, may
receive a gift presented to him : a condemned malefactor has
as good a right to receive a gift presented to him by the
king, as the greatest favourite in the court ; his being a guilty
criminal is no pi-ejudice at all to his receiving a gift ; yea,
his being so qualifies him for receiving the pardon. So, here,
Christ's being the gift of God, freely offered and presented,
warrants the sinner to receive him, without respect to any
qualifications but that of his being a sinner. Hunger is the
best disposing qualification for meat, nakedness fits a man for
clothing, &c. And that Christ seeks no other qualifications
is evident from his counsel to Laodicea, Rev. iii. 17, 18:
" Thou art wretched and miserable, and poor, and blind, and
naked. I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire,
that thou mayst be rich ; and white raiment that thou mayst
be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not ap-
pear ; and anoint thine eyes with eye-salve that thou mayst
see."

5. You have not only an offer of Christ, but an express com-
mand requiring you to embrace him, for your warrant: 1 John
iii. 23: "This is his commandment, that we should believe
on the name of his Son Jesus Christ." Sirs, it is not a thing
left optional to you, to embrace Christ or not, as you please ;

IX.] CHRIST IN THE BELIEVER'S ARMS. 233

no, you are concluded under a law, fenced with the severest
penalty ; " He that believeth not, is condemned already, and
the wrath of God abideth on him." The unbelieving sinner
counteracts the authority of Heaven ; and thus rushes upon
" God's neck, upon the thick bosses of his buckler." You
have no reason to doubt but that the command of believing
is to you ; for if you were not commanded to believe, your
unbelief could not be your sin: u Where no law is, there is
no transgression." You do not doubt, but you are commanded
by the word of God, to read, hear, pray, sanctify the Sabbath,
and to perform the other duties of the moral law ; and be-
cause they are commanded, you aim at obedience. Now,
believing is as peremptorily enjoined, yea rather more than
any other, duty, inasmuch as the successful and acceptable
performance of all other duties depends upon it. And, there-
fore, do not stand disputing your warrant, against the express
authority of Heaven.

J

6. Besides the command of God, you have a promise of
welcome to encourage you in believing : John vi. 37 : " Him
that cometh to me, I will in no wise cast out." John iii. 16:
" Whosoever believeth in him, shall not perish, but have ever-
lasting life." But, say you, these promises may be to others,
and not to me. I answer, The promise is endorsed to you,
directed to you, in the external call and dispensation of the
gospel, Acts ii. 39. There the apostle is preaching to a com-
pany of men, whose hands had lately been dipped in --the
blood of the Son of God. He calls them to faith and repent-
ance. By what argument does he enforce the exhortation ?
Why, he tells them, " The promise is unto you, and to your
children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the
Lord our God shall call." Where, it is plain, the promise is
extended, first to the Jews, and then to the Gentiles, who at
that time were afar off; and then indefinitely, both to Jew
and gentile, to whom the call of the gospel should reach; the
external call, which is only here intended, howsoever the
Spirit of the Lord did internally concur, being the alone foun-
dation upon which the promise is to be received, and not the
internal call of one person, which can never be a warrant of
believing to another. And, therefore, as the apostle said to
them, so say I to you, in the name of God, The promise is unto
you, I mean, the promise of welcome ; Whosoever of you be-
lieveth, shall not perish. This promise is not made to believers
exclusively of others, but to everyone that hears this gospel;
for if so, we could call none to believe but such as have be-
lieved, which is most absurd. Well, then, let God's promise
warrant you to believe in Christ; and if you do not think
this sufficient, take his promise of welcome, ratified with

20*

234 christ inr the believer's arms. [ser.

his oath, Ezek. xxxiii. 11 : these being the "two immutable
things wherein it is impossible for God to lie."

7. Let the indefinite and absolute nature of the covenant
of grace be your warrant for embracing the Lord Jesus. The
covenant of grace, as it lies in the external dispensation of
the gospel, is conceived in the form of a blank bond or testa-
mentary deed, where there is room left to every man to fill
up his name, by the hand of faith. The strain and tenor of
it is, " I will be their God, and they shall be my people : I
will take away the stony heart out of their flesh, and will
give them a heart of flesh : I will sprinkle clean water upon
them: I will put my Spirit within them: I will be merciful
to their unrighteousness : I will subdue their iniquities." —
Where, you see, the grant runs in an indefinite way ; no
man's name mentioned, neither any by name excluded. Why,
what is the design of this, but that every man may be en-
couraged to subscribe his name, or to make application thereof
to his own soul, in a way of believing, by which we are said
to lake hold of God's cove?iant ? O sirs ! the covenant of grace,
as it lies in the external dispensation of the gospel, (for now
I abstract from his secret purposes, which are not at all the
measure or rule of faith,) is just like a rope cast in among a
company of drowning men ; he that throws it in, cries to
every one of them to take hold of the rope, promising to
draw them safe to shore : so, God, in the gospel-dispensation,
proposes his covenant to every one as a ground of faith,
assuring them, that whosoever takes hold of his covenant,
and receives his Christ, whom he hath "given for a covenant
of the people, — shall not perish, but have everlasting life."
For the Lord's sake, do not put this rope of salvation away
from you, under a pretence that you know not if it be de-
signed for you. Would you not reckon it ridiculous madness
in any of these drowning men now mentioned, to fall to dis-
puting whether the rope were cast in to them, when they
are at the very point of sinking to the bottom i Would not
every one of them gripe at it, with the utmost strength and
vigour, without putting any question? Now, this is the very
ease, O sinner ; thou art going down to the pit of eternal
misery ; God, by his ministers, cries to you to take hold of
this rope of salvation : O then T " see that you refuse not him
that speaketh from heaven ;" do not dispute yourselves away
from your own mercy.

8. Let the welcome that others have met with in coming
to Christ be your encouragement to venture also. Never
any really came to him but they met with a kindly reception.
Ask the prodigal son, ask Mary Magdalene, Paul, and others,
what entertainment they met with from this Saviour ; they

IX.] CHRIST IN THE BELIEVER'S ARMS. 235

will be ready to tell you, that they obtained mercy. Now, the
same mercy that saved them, is as ready to save you. You
do not doubt that Moses, David, Peter, Paul, and other saints
who are now in glory, had sufficient warrant to believe. Sirs,
you have the same grounds of faith as ever they had, the
same God, the same Saviour, the same Bible, the same co-
venant, the same promises, the same faithfulness, of God to
lean to, as ever they had ; and these grounds of faith are so
firm, that they never disappointed any that leaned to them :
and therefore be encouraged to believe, as they did. O how
will it for ever gall and torment unbelieving sinners in hell
when they see others, who believed upon the same grounds
that were common to them also, sitting down in the kingdom
of heaven, and themselves shut up in utter darkness, with
devils and damned spirits, because of their unbelief! And
how will the devil himself upbraid unbelievers in hell, when
fallen under the same condemnation with himself, that they
had such fair warrants to believe in Christ, which he never had !

Object. 2. ' You tell me embrace Christ ; but, alas! he is far
away out of my reach : Christ is in heaven, how shall I win
at him 1 '

A?is. Seeing you cannot come up to Christ, Christ is come
down to you ; and we bring him near to you, in " this word
of salvation which we preach :" Is. xlvi. 12, 13 : " Hearken
unto me, ye stout-hearted, that are far from righteousness.
I bring near my righteousness: it shall not be far off, and my
salvation shall not tarry." And therefore, " say not in thine
heart, Who shall ascend into heaven ? (that is, to bring Christ
down from above ;) or, Who shall descend into the deep 1
(that is, to bring up Christ again from the dead ;) for the word
is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart : that is, the
word of faith, which we preach," Rom. x. 6 — 8 : Sirs, Christ
is in this gospel, this word of faith and grace, which we, in the
name of God deliver to you: and your faith must terminate im-
mediately upon this word, otherwise you can never embrace him.
As I believe or trust a man by his verbal or written promise ; so
I embrace Christ by the word of faith, or promises in the gos-
pel. Suppose a responsible man residing in America, should
send me his bill for any sum of money, that man and his
money are brought near to me by his bill and security which
he sends me : so here, though Christ be in heaven, and we
upon earth, yet the word of faith, which we preach, brings
him, his kingdom, righteousness, salvation, and whole fulness,
nigh to every one of us, so that we need not ascend into hea-
ven, or descend into hell, in quest of him.

Object. 3. ' My arms have been so defiled with the embraces
of other lovers, that 1 am afraid Christ will never allow me

236 CHRIST IN" THE BELIEVER'S ARMS. [SER.

to embrace him.' For answer, I only refer you to Jer. iii. 1:
" Though thou hast played the harlot with many lovers ; yet
return again to me, saith the Lord." < But,' say you, ' my sins
are highly aggravated.' Ans. Is. L 18 : " Come now, and let us
reason together, saith the Lord : though your sins be as scar-
let, they shall be as white as snow ; though they be red like
crimson, they shall be as wool."

Object. 4. ' You tell me embrace him ; but, alas ! I want an
arm ; I have no power to embrace him.' Answ. If thou hast
a will to embrace him, the great difficulty is over, for there
lies the principal stop : " Ye will not come to me, that ye
might have life." Where God gives to will, he gives also to
do of his ow7i good pleasure. You say, you want the arm to
embrace him ; then do as the man with the withered hand
did, attempt to " stretch it forth," in obedience to the com-
mand of Christ. Believing is a thing we must be essaying,
even before we can find the Spirit of God working it in us
effectually. We cannot pray, we cannot sanctify the Sabbath,
we cannot think a good thought, till the Spirit of God work
it in us ; and yet we do not forbear these duties because we
have no power to do them ; so, although we have no power
to believe, yet we should be trying to believe. The way that
the Spirit of God works faith in the souls of the elect, is, by
making them sensible of their own inability, that they may
turn the work over upon his own hand, who " worketh all
our works in us, and for us."

Object. 5. ' Let me aim at believing as much as I will, I
shall never be able to effect it, if I be not among God's elect;
for it is only they that are " ordained to eternal life>" that " do
believe." ' Ans. This is an ordinary sophism of the grand ene-
my of salvation, by which he discourages sinners from be-
lieving in the Lord Jesus: and the fallacy or weakness of it
will easily appear, by applying the objection to the ordinary
business of human life. When meat is set before you, do
you decline to take or use it, for this reason, that you do not
know whether God has ordained it for you 1 Do you not say,
Meat is for the use of man, and this meat is set before me,
and therefore I will take it. You do not say, I will not
plough or sow my ground, because I know not if ever God
has decreed that it shall bring forth ; or, I will not go home to
my house, because I know not if ever God has decreed I should
come the length. You would reckon a man mad, or beside
himself, who would argue in this manner, in affairs of this na-
ture. Why, the case is the very same : as the secret decrees
of Heaven lie quite out of the road in the management of the
affairs of this life ; so neither are they at all to be the measure
or rule of our actings in the great concerns of eternity : " Se-

IX.] CHRIST IN THE BELIEVER'S ARMS. 237

cret things belong unto the Lord our God ; but those things
which are revealed, belong unto us, and to our children."
And the ground of your condemnation at the great day will
not be, because you were not elected, but because you would
not believe. The reprobate Jews were cut off, " because of
their unbelief," Rom. xi. 7 and 20. I shall only add, tbat as
you cannot know that the meat set before you is yours, in pos-
session, till you take it : so neither can you ever know that
Christ was ordained for you, till you take him into your pos-
session by faith. And therefore, you must believe in Christ,
before you know your election ; otherwise you shall never
know it, and shall never believe either. So much by way
of exhortation.

I shall conclude this discourse with a short word to two
sorts of persons.

First, To you who, like Simeon, have got him in the em-
braces of your souls, and who perhaps can say, to your sweet
experience, with the spouse, " I have found him whom my
soul loveth." All I say to you, shall be comprised in these
two or three words.

1. O bless God, as Simeon did, for such a privilege ; " let
the high praises of God be in your mouths." I told you al-
ready, of several songs you have ground and reason to sing,
which I shall not stand to resume. Only, to engage you to
bless him, consider, that this is all the tribute he expects from
you. Who will ever bless him, if not the "people that he
has formed for himself?" Consider again, that this is the way
to have blessings multiplied upon you ; the thankful beggar
is best served at the door both of God and man. The trumpeter
loves to sound where there is an echo, which brings back the
sound to his ears ; so God loves to bestow his blessings, where
he hears of them again in songs of praise and gratitude.
Praise is the work of heaven, through a long eternity : now,
they who are bound to that land afar off, should be lisping
out the language of the land before they reach there.

2. Have you got Christ in the arms of your souls 1 O then
improve your golden season : and while you are allowed to
ride with the King, in the chariot of the wood of Lebanon, im-
prove your interest with him, both for yourselves and others ;
particularly, entreat him, that he would revive his own work,
which is under such a sad decay in our land at this day ;
study to " bring him into your mother's house, and into the
chamber of her that conceived you."

3. Have you got him in your arms? Then follow the
spouse's practice, Cant. iii. 4 : " I held him, and would not
let him go." O keep him in the embraces of your souls ; his
presence dispels clouds, and turns the shadows of death into

238 CHRIST IN THE BELIEVER'S ARMS. [SER.

the morning ; it is like oil to the chariot- wheels of the soul :
light, life, liberty, peace, pardon, and plenty, are his continual
attendants. And, remember, that his departure is of a very
dangerous consequence. It is true, his real presence shall
never depart ; but yet his quickening, strengthening, and up-
holding presence may be withdrawn to such a degree, that
you may go " mourning without the sun :" and if, through un-
tenderness, you provoke him to withdraw, the quarrel may
be pursued even to the gates of hell ; so that you may be made
to cry out, " The arrows of the Almighty are within me,
the poison whereof drinketh up my spirit: the terrors of God
do set themselves in array against me," Job vi. 4.

And, in order to your keeping him in the embraces of your
souls,

1st, Beware of every thing that may provoke him to with-
draw ; particularly beware of security, which made him to
withdraw from the spouse, Cant. v. 3, and 6, compared. Be-
ware of pride ; for " God resisteth the proud," and " beholds
them afar off." Beware of worldly-mindedness : " For the
iniquity of his covetousness was I wroth, and smote him," Is.
lvii. 17. Beware of unbelief, that root of bitterness, which
causes to " depart from the living God." Distrust and "jea-
lousy is the rage of a man ;" much more is it provoking to
God. Under the law, God appointed porters to keep watch
at the door of the temple, that nothing might be suffered to
enter, which might defile the dwelling-place of his name ; thy
soul and body, believer, is the temple of God ; therefore guard
against every thing that may defile the same.

2dly, If you would hold Christ in the embraces of your
souls, keep grace in lively exercise ; for these are the spike-
nard and spices that send out a fragrant smell for his enter-
tainment. Keep the arm of faith continually about him ; let
the fire of divine love burn continually upon the altar of thy
heart ; let the anchor of hope be fixed within the veil ; let
the fountain of evangelical repentance be still running ; and
under your greatest attainments be humble, and take care to
set the crown upon Christ's head, saying, " Not unto us, not
unto us, but unto thy name be the glory."

The second sort of persons I would speak a little to, are
those who, perhaps, are complaining of hidings and withdraw-
ings, and are perhaps saying, I came to the temple to see if
I could get Christ in my arms, but I am disappointed ; yea,
matters are come that length with me, that I am ready to
" raze foundations," and to conclude that I am an utter stran-
ger to him. All I have to offer to you, shall be comprised in
these two or three things, with which I conclude.

I. Allow me to ask, If there be not a void and emptiness

X.] ON THE THRONE OF GRACE. 239

in thy heart which the whole creation cannot fill, till Christ
himself come and fill it 1 Are not ordinances, ministers, word,
and sacrament, empty without him, like dry breasts ? That
says, thou art not altogether a stranger to him. And, therefore,
do not entertain harsh thoughts of thyself; thy case is not at
all unprecedented. What think ye of David, Psal. xiii. ; of
Asaph, Psal. lxxvii. ; of Heman, Psal. lxxxviii. ; yea, of Christ
himself, who, through the withdrawing of his Father's love,
was made to utter that heart-rending cry, " My God, my God,
why hast thou forsaken me V

2. Know, for thy comfort, that thy hiding Lord will return
again : " Weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh
in the morning," Psal. xxx. 4, 5 : Isa. liv. 7, 8. The very
breathings and longings of thy soul after him, are a pledge of
his return ; for " he satisfieth the longing soul, and filleth the
hungry soul with goodness."

3. When you cannot get Christ himself embraced, study to
embrace his word of promise, as the Old Testament saints
did, Heb. xi. 13. As a loving wife will lay the letters of her
absent husband in her breast, and perhaps kiss his hand-writ-
ing ; so lay the sweet promises of thy best Husband in thy
bosom, and between thy breasts, until he himself return.

4. Lastly, Maintain your claim to him on the ground of
the covenant, when you cannot maintain it upon a ground of
sense ; as a wife will maintain her relation to her husband,
though he be both angry and absent. The Lord loves to
have his people pleading kindness, and maintaining their
claim upon the marriage contract of the new covenant, when
they " walk in darkness, and see no light," Is. 1. 10 : and such
a carriage as this, commonly lands in a happy meeting be-
twixt Christ and the souls of his people ; for after believing,
comes sealing.

SERMON X.

ON THE THRONE OF GRACE.
Justice and judgment are the habitation of thy throne. — Psal. lxxxix. 14.

This psalm elegantly describes God's covenant of grace
made with Christ, and his spiritual seed in him, under the type
of God's covenant of royalty with David and his posterity ;
as is plain from many passages of the psalm, which are too

240 ON THE THRONE OF GRACE. [sER.

sublime and lofty to be restrained to David's temporary reign,
or to that of his posterity, over the tribes of Israel, which
quite expired in the revolution of a few ages.

The words read are a description of the nature of the Mes-
siah's kingdom and administration : Justice and judgment are
the habitation of thy throne.

Where we may notice, 1. The royal person who is the
subject-matter of my text, and of the greatest part of the
psalm : he is pointed at in the pronoun thy. This is none other
than Christ, the true David, who was to reign in the latter
days ; and in whom David's family and kingdom shall be per-
petuated for ever. This is the king who rules in righteousness,
and whose seed is to be established for ever, whose throne
shall be built up to all generations, ver. 4.

2. We have a badge of royal majesty and sovereignty
ascribed to him ; a throne. We frequently read in scripture
of Christ's throne, Psal. xlv. 6, compared with Heb. i. 8 :
" Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever." God's throne is
threefold. (1.) His throne of glory ; by which 1 understand
the essential glory and majesty of the divine nature. This
throne is inaccessible by finite creatures ; hence 1 Tim. vi.
16, he is said to " dwell in the light which no man can ap-
proach unto, whom no man hath seen, nor can see." The
light of glory that breaks forth from this throne of essential
glory, is too bright and overwhelming either for men or an-
gels immediately to behold. Hence the Seraphims, Is. vi. are
represented as covering their faces with their wings, to veil
their eyes from that dazzling glory of divine holiness shining
forth from his glorious throne, which is high and lifted up. —
O " who " of Adam's fallen posterity " shall stand in his holy
place !" (2.) There is his throne of justice, where he judges
sinners according to the tenor of the law or broken covenant
of works. At this bar, every unbeliever is condemned already ;
and from this throne, their final and irreversible doom will
pass at the last day; "Depart from me, ye cursed," &c. —
Before this throne, no flesh living can be justified: "If thou,
Lord, shouldst mark iniquities, O Lord, who shall stand? Psal.
cxxx. 3. (3.) We read of a throne of grace, Heb. iv. 16:
" Let us, therefore, come boldly unto the throne of grace, that
we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need."
And this is the throne intended in my text, as is plain from
the close of the verse, and what follows, " Mercy and truth
go before the face" of him that sits on it; a "joyful sound"
of peace, pardon, and salvation, issues forth from it to perish-
ing sinners. " They walk in the light of" the King's " coun-
tenance, rejoice" in his "name, and are exalted in" his "right-
eousness," &c. Terror and amazement, death and ruin, are

X.] ON THE THRONE OF GRACE. 241

the fruits of God's appearing to sinners from a throne of glo-
ry, or justice ; and therefore, 1 say, it must be a throne of
grace that is here intended.

3. In the words we have the firm foundation upon which
this throne of grace stands; its habitation, or (as in the mar-
gin) establishment, is justice and judgment : the firmest founda-
tion upon which any throne can be settled. The thrones of
many earthly potentates are reared and built up with violence
and oppression; but the throne of God's kingdom of grace is
established in righteousness. The Son of God, as the Surety
of sinners, submitted to satisfy justice, and to undergo the
judgment and the condemnation of the broken law, by which
he brings in everlasting righteousness; and upon this bottom
or foundation the throne of grace is established, and upon this
basis (as Pool reads it) will it stand for ever.

The doctrine I design to prosecute from the words is this : —
Doot. — " That God's administration of grace is founded
upon the complete satisfaction of justice by his eternal Son
as our Surety." Or take it thus : " That justice satisfied,
and judgment executed upon Christ as our Surety, is the ba-
sis and foundation of a throne of grace. Justice and judg-
ment are the habitation of thy throne."

I only name two other places of holy writ for confirmation
of the doctrine. The one we have, Rom. iii. 24 — 26, where
the apostle tells us, "We are justified freely by his grace,
through the redemption that is in Jesus Christ: whom God
hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood,
to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are
past; — to declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that
he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in
Jesus." Where it is plain, that the grace of God in pardon-
ing and justifying the ungodly sinner, is founded upon the
propitiatory sacrifice of the death of Christ; and grace's ad-
ministration being built upon this ground, God is just in par-
doning the sinner that believes in Jesus. Another clear text
to the same purpose we have, Rom. v. 21 ; where grace is
said to "reign through righteousness unto eternal life, by Je-
sus Christ our Lord." The government of grace is founded
on righteousness; that is, upon the righteousness of Christ,
by which justice was satisfied in the execution of judgment
upon the Surety.

In handling this doctrine, I shall, through divine assistance,
observe the following method : —

I. I shall speak a little of this throne.

II. Of the basis or foundation of this throne.
vol. i. 21

242 ON THE THRONE OF GRACE. [SER.

III. Notice some pillars with which the throne is surround-
ed and supported.

IV. Inquire why God will have justice and judgment for
the foundation of his throne of grace.

V. Apply the whole.

1. I say, I would take a view of the throne. Where again I
shall, 1. Show what this throne is, and why so called. 2. In-
quire what comfortable views of God a guilty sinner may
have from this throne. 3. Offer a few scriptural remarks
concerning it.

First, What is this throne, and why so called? In one
word, then, By this throne of grace we are just to understand
God manifesting himself in our own nature, and dealing with
sinners through Christ according to the grace of the gospel.
I take that word of the apostle, 2 Cor. v. 19, 20, to be a just
account of what is intended by a throne of grace ; " To wit,
that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself,
not imputing their trespasses unto them ;" issuing forth a
word of peace and reconciliation, that sinners might no more
continue in their enmity, by dreading God as an implacable
judge, or inexorable enemy, but might return to him as a
reconciled God and Father. The reason of all which is sub-
joined, ver. 21 : " For he hath made him to be sin for us, who
knew no sin ; that we might be made the righteousness of
God in him."

Now, God's administration of grace toward guilty sinners
through Christ, may be called a throne, either,

1. With allusion to the mercy-seat in the typical temple
of Jerusalem. Israel was a theocracy ; the Holy one of Is-
rael was their King, and the mercy-seat was his throne. It
wras an eminent type of Christ, and the most solemn and sa-
cred thing in all that typical administration. God is said to
" dwell between the cherubims : Shine forth, O thou that
dwellest between the cherubims:" so God dwelleth in Christ;
yea, " in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily."
And through him God dwelleth with man upon earth in a
wray of grace: through him we have entrance into the holi-
est, as Israel entered in the person of their high priest : in him
we make atonement for our sins ; and through him we re-
ceive the oracles of God, the revelations of the divine will:
in him God meets and communes with us, as he did from the
mercy-seat in the material temple, Exod. xxv. 17, 22. Or,

2. It may be called a throne, because of the glorious great-
ness and royal majesty of God that shines in this administra-
tion of grace through Christ. A throne, you know, is a seat
of majesty, peculiar to sovereigns. Let none imagine, that

X.] ON THE THRONE OF GRACE. 243

the glory of God is any thing lessened by his sitting upon a
throne of grace, or that less reverence is due to him here,
than upon a throne of glory or justice. Indeed, the boldness
of faith is both allowed and commanded in our approaches
to this throne ; but this does not diminish, but increase the
soul's reverence and holy fear ; Psal. xcix. 1 : " The Lord
reigneth, let the people tremble : he sitteth between the che-
rubims, let the earth be moved." Every thing in and about
God's throne of grace appears great. " For the beauty of
his throne, he hath set it in majesty." For instance, take
these few particulars : —

1st, There is royal majesty in the very name of him that
sits on the throne. What is his name ? O happy they that
know it, and by the eye of faith can read it written on his
thiorh and vesture, " The King of kings, and Lord of lords,"
Rev. xix. 16. His name is " Wonderful, Counsellor, The
mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of peace."

2dly, There is majesty in his looks : "Honour and majesty
are before his face. His countenance is as Lebanon, excel-
lent as the cedars; yea, as the sun shining in his strength."
There is such a majestic sweetness in the looks of his recon-
ciled face, as " turns the shadow of death into the morning,"
and puts more gladness in the heart, than when corn, wine,
and oil doth abound.

3dly, There is majesty in his words .and voice ; and every
one that knows it will be ready to say, as in the words fol-
lowing my text, " Blessed is the people that know the joyful
sound." " The voice of the Lord," even from a throne of
grace, " is powerful ; the voice of the Lord is full of majesty."
This voice is " the power of God unto salvation." God's
voice in the thunder makes the hinds to calve; but his voice
from a throne of grace makes the dead to live, the dumb to
sing, the lame man to leap like a hart : and no wonder, for
his words are " spirit and life," yea, " words of eternal life."
Christ speaks but a word to Mary, calls her by her name,
Mwy ; and immediately her heart nutters with joy, and she
cries out, " Rabboni, My Master." Cant. ii. 8 : " The voice
of my beloved ! behold, he cometh," &c.

4lhly, There is majesty in his vesture. He is " clothed
with a garment down to the foot;" a robe of righteousness, a
garment of salvation. His whole mystical body, and every
the least member is covered with it. When he sits on his
throne, " his train," or, as in the margin, Is. vi. " the skirts
thereof, filleth the temple. " All " his " garments smell of
myrrh, and aloes, and cassia ; out of the ivory palaces, where-
by " the attendants of his throne are " made glad."

bthly, There is majesty in his sceptre. We read of the
sceptre of Christ's kingdom, Psal. xlv. called " the rod of his

244 ON THE THRONE OP GRACE. " [SER.

strength," Psal. ex. 2 ; by which we are to understand the
gospel accompanied with the efficacy of his Spirit. There
is such a majesty in this sceptre, when he sways it from a
throne of grace, that it makes a "willing people" come in to
him in the day of his armies.

Gthly, There is majesty in the acts that are passed at a
throne of grace ; they are suitable to the nature of the throne.
Acts of grace only pass at a throne of grace ; acts of mercy
at a mercy-seat. What an air of infinite majesty does God
display from his throne of grace, when, beyond the expecta-
tion of men and angels, he issues forth that royal act of grace
indemnifying rebels ! " I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy
transgressions for mine own sake, and will not remember thy
sins!" Is. xliii. 25.

Ithly, The majesty of this throne appears from the heralds
that are employed to intimate and proclaim the acts of grace
that pass at it. Apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and
teachers, and all the ministers of Christ, what are they but
so many heralds ordained by the King, who sits upon this
throne, to intimate and proclaim his will of grace to a lost
world 1 " Go ye into all the world," says he, " and preach
the gospel to every creature." As if he had said, ' Go pub-
lish the acts of grace that are passed in favour of lost sinners
at a throne of grace.'

8thly, There is majesty in the tributes and revenues of this
throne. God's administration of grace in Christ brings in a
large revenue of glory and praise to the crown of Heaven.
Christ's kingdom of -grace is wide and large. By his Father's
grant " the Heathen, and uttermost parts of the earth are
given to him for a possession." Psal. ii. And in all corners
of his extended inheritance there is a tribute of glory and
praise levied to him : Is. xxiv. 16 : " From the uttermost part,"
or wing, " of the earth have we heard songs, even glory to
the righteous ;" that is, glory to " Jesus Christ the righteous."
The church militant will be paying this tribute while the
world stands. " Men are blessed in him ;" and therefore " all
nations," and all generations, " shall call him blessed," saying,
" Blessed be his glorious name for ever ; and let the whole
earth be filled with his glory." Psal. lxxii. 17, 19. The
church triumphant in heaven will be paying this tribute of
praise to a throne of grace through an endless eternity : Rev.
iv. 10: "They cast their crowns before the throne, saying,.
Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory, and honour, and
power," (fcer Rev. ~v. 8, 12.

Qthly, There is majesty in the gifts and distributions which
are made from this throne, and in the manner of his giving
them. The gifts are worthy of the giver who sits on the
throne. He gives himself, saying, "I will be their God." He^

X.J ON THE THRONE OF GRACE. 245

gives his Son, John iii. 16. He gives his Spirit, Luke xi. 13.
He gives grace and glory, Psal. Ixxxiv. 11. In a word, he
gives all the sure mercies of David. Whatever comes from a
throne of grace, must needs come in a way of gift, otherwise it
would not suit the nature of the throne. It is below the ma-
jesty of the great King, whose name is gracious, to receive
money or price from us. What he gives, he gives freely,
without regard to any qualifications in us, Is. lv. 1 ; Rev.
xxii. 17.

Secondly, I come to inquire what comfortable views of God
are to be had by a guilty trembling sinner from this throne
of grace. In general, every view of God here is inviting and
encouraging. Unbelief is said to turn us away from the
living God, Heb. iii. 12. And the way that it turns us away
from him, is either by viewing him as upon a throne of ab-
solute mercy ; and so it turns us into a presumptuous confi-
dence of safety, in a way of sin ; or else it views him as upon
a throne of inexorable justice ; and so it turns us into the way
of despair, and makes us fly and shun his presence as a de-
stroying enemy. But faith views God as upon a throne of
grace ; and there it sees every perfection of the divine nature
looking toward the sinner with an encouraging smile. More
particularly,

1. God upon a throne of grace is to be seen as " the God
and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ," Eph. i. 3. " Blessed
be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ," 1 Pet. i. 3.
This is the great New Testament title of God ; and O! what
amazing grace and sweetness is in it ! Christ is "our Lord,
our Jesus, our Christ ;" for " unto us " this " child is born,
unto us " this " son is given :" he is our Gael, or " kinsman,"
our Elder Brother; and he being so near of kin to us, our
blood relation, his relation to God descends to us through him,
insomuch that his God is our God, and his Father is our
Father. Hence, Christ directs Mary, John xx. 17, to go to
his " brethren, and say unto them, 1 ascend unto my Father
and your Father, and to my God and your God." O what
can be more encouraging! He is "your Father," because
he is "my Father;" and "your God," because he is "my
God." There is a rich mine of grace here, which angels de-
sire to pry into. And it is some view of God in this relation
to Christ, and to us through Christ, that first influences the
sinner to turn to God. " I will arise," says the prodigal,
" and go to my Father," Luke xv. 18. " Behold we come
unto thee, for thou art the Lord our God," Jer. iii. 22. And
a law-condemned sinner can never view him as his God and
Father, but only as he is upon a throne of grace, or as he re*
veals himself in Christ.

21*

246 ON THE THRONE OF GRACE. [SER.

2. From a throne of grace, God is to be seen as a God of
love : yea, as love itself: 1 John iv. 16 : " God is love." Ver.
10 : " Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved
us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins." So
John iii. 16 : " God so loved the world, that he gave his only
begotton Son," &c. This love of God to lost sinners lay hid
under a veil of wrath and justice, till the veil was rent by the
satisfaction of Christ; and then indeed the love and kindness
of God toward man appeared, venting itself in a most glorious
and triumphant manner. O how encouraging is this view
of God, to come to his throne, with the confidence of faith,
for grace and mercy to help ! It was this view that made
David to cry, Psal. xxxvi. 7, "How excellent is thy loving-
kindness, O God ! therefore the children of men put their trust
under the shadow of thy wings."

3. From a throne of grace, a guilty sinner may view him
as a God of peace : Heb. xiii. 20 : " Now, the God of peace,
that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus," &c. God's
anger and fury began to burn against Adam, and all his pos-
terity, immediately after the fall; and if a stop had not been
put to it, it had consumed the earth with its increase, and
burnt into the lowest hell: but no sooner did he receive the
atonement, either in the promise, or actual payment of it,
from our blessed Surety, but the flaming sword of justice is
put up in its scabbard, and a gracious declaration issued forth,
that "fury is not in him." Indeed, if sinners will still deal with
him as upon a thrown of justice or according to the terms of
the law-covenant, they will find him to be " a consuming fire"
But, oh ! who will be so mad as to set briers and thorns in
battleagainst devouring flames? If theydo,he "will go through
them, and consume them together." Shall we not rather turn
toward him as upon a throne of grace, where we shall hear
him saying to the rebellious sinner, " Or let him take hold of
my strength, that he may make peace with me, and he shall
make peace with me?" Is. xxvii. 4, 5.

4. From a throne of grace God is to be seen as a God with
us: Matth. i. 23, compared with Is. vii. 14: "Behold, a vir-
gin shall conceive, and bring forth a son, and they shall call
his name Immanuel, which, being interpreted, is God with
us." In Christ he is God with us, to avenge our quarrel upon
the serpent, by bruising his head. " The day of vengeance
is in mine heart." With us, to save from jaw, justice, the
world, and all them that would condemn our souls, Psal. cix.
31. With us, to strengthen, help, and uphold us in all dif-
ficulties and dangers, with the right hand of his righteous-
ness. And, oh ! " if God be with us, who can be against us?"
Hence, is that triumphant song of the church, Psal. xlvi.

X.] ON THE THRONE OF GRACE. 247

"The Lord of hosts is with us, the God of Jacob is our re-
fuge. Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be re-
moved, and though the mountains be carried into the midst
of the sea," &c.

5. Again, let us view him from a throne of grace, and we
shall see him to be a promising God. The absolute God is
to a sinner a threatening God. Nothing is to be heard from
a throne of justice, but curses against every one that conti-
nues not in all things written in the book of the law to do
them. But, O sirs, come to a throne of grace, to God in
Christ, and you shall see a promising God. 2 Cor. i. 20, we
are told, " all the promises of God are in Christ, and in him
yea and amen." Wherever we meet with any promise of
God in the scriptures of truth, be it a promise of pardon, of
peace, of counsel, of grace, or glory, for this life, or that
which is to come; we should still remember, that they come
from a God in Christ reconciling the world to himself. Christ,
having fulfilled the proper condition of the promise by his
obedience unto death, all the promises are his in the first in-
stance; he is the first heir of them all : and in him, and through
him, they are given out to us in the word as the immediate
ground and foundation of our faith, with that intimation and
advertisement, " The promise is unto you, and to your chil-
dren, and to all that are afar off, even as manyas " lie within
the compass of the gospel call, Acts ii. 39. O sirs, here is good
news from a throne of grace, if you can but receive and cre-
dit it, with application to your own souls. As all threat-
enings of the word are spoken to the sinner in particular from
a throne of justice, as if he were spoken to by name and sur-
name ; so all the" promises of the word are directed to you in
particular from a throne of grace, as though you were ex-
pressed in them by name. There is not a son of Adam, but
has as much concern with that promise, Gen. iii. 15: "The
seed of the woman shall bruise the serpent's head," as Adam
himself had, in whose hearing it was uttered. Thus, I say,
God from a throne of grace is to be seen as a promising God.

6. View God upon his throne, and you shall see him to be
a God matching with our family. There is a twofold match
that the great Jehovah makes with the family of Adam.
(1.) He matches with our nature, joining it to himself by
a hypostatical union in the person of his eternal Son ; and
thus, by marrying our nature into a personal union, he be-
comes related to the whole family of Adam, Jew and gentile.
And this is " good tidings of great joy unto all people, that
unto us," not to fallen angels, " is born in the city of David,
a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord," Luke ii. 10, 11. (2.)
God, having married our nature, and, as it were, come upon

248 ON THE THRONE OF GRACE. [SER.

a level with us, that the inequality of the parties might be
no stop, he proclaims his purpose of marriage with our very
persons in the dispensation of the gospel. This proposal and
proclamation of marriage coming forth from the throne of
grace, is made to all without exception in the call of the gos-
pel, Matth. xxii. 4. Yea, all the members of the visible
church are in some sense married to the Son of God, Jer.
iii. 14. And if it were not so, they could not be charged
with adultery, or playing the harlot with other lovers as they
are, ver. 1. But besides all this, in a day of power he de-
termines the poor soul whom he bath loved with an ever-
lasting love, to give its hearty assent and consent to the pro-
mise and proposal of marriage made by Christ in the gospel,
saying, " 1 am the Lord's," Is. xliv. 5.

Thus he fulfils his promise, chap. liv. 5 : " Thy Maker is
thine Husband, (the Lord of hosts is his name;) and thy
Redeemer the holy One of Israel, the God of the whole earth
shall he be called." See also Hos. ii. 19, 20 : " I will betroth
thee unto me for ever."

7. God from a throne of grace is to be viewed as a pardon-
ing God, issuing forth indemnities to guilty rebels, who have
violated his laws, and trampled upon his authority. From a
throne of justice he can only be viewed as a condemning
God, pronouncing and executing the righteous sentence of a
broken law upon sinners who have transgressed it ; and when
the holiest of saints that ever breathed come to deal with
God upon this footing, they are made to cry out, "O Lord,
who shall stand V Nothing but " tribulation and anguish,
indignation and wrath, to every soul of man that doth evil."
But O glory to God in the highest, that by the reign of grace,
through the righteousness of Christ, he appears in quite an-
other view, namely, as a " God forgiving iniquity, and trans-
gression, and sin ;" yea, glorying in it as his prerogative, Is.
xliii. 25 ; offering and bestowing his pardons upon the guil-
tiest of criminals, Is. i. 18: "Come now, and let us reason
together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they
shall be as white as snow : though they be red like crimson,
they shall be as wool."

8. From a throne of grace God appears to us as a God of
infinite bounty and liberality. And O what a pleasant view
is this to the poor and needy! Jam. i. 5: " If any man lack
wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally,
and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him." From a
throne of grace he " gives," and gives " liberally," and gives
"without upbraiding." O sirs, grace is not for inholding, but
for outgiving ; grace could not be grace if it were otherwise.
Never was there a throne like this throne of grace, which

X.] ON THE THRONE OF GRACE. 249

has its very nature and standing by liberality. How soon
would it spend the substance of the greatest and richest kings
upon earth, to give to every one that had a mind to ask ! If
they kept open doors and open treasures for all, and made
every one welcome to come and take whatever they pleased,
how soon would their treasuries be emptied. But, the trea-
suries of this throne are not only inexhaustible, but they are
not in the least impaired by outgiving : however much grace
has been given out from this throne to the sons of men, (and
the distributions already have been very large,) yet there is
as much grace behind as ever. Yea, the very glory, riches,
and splendour of this throne, lie in the large, free, and liberal
distributions that are made to poor and needy sinners, who
come to it for grace and mercy ; and the King makes all wel-
come without exception : Is. lv. 1 : " Ho, every one that thirst-
eth, come ye to the waters," &c.

9. He is to be viewed from a throne of grace as a prayer-
hearing God: Psal. lxv. 2: "O thou that hearest prayer,
unto thee shall all flesh come." He sits upon this throne en-
couraging all. who have any business with him to come for-
ward with boldness, and present their petitions to him, assuring
them that their bills of request shall not be cast over bar:
Matth. vii. 7 : " Ask, and it shall be given you ; seek, and
ye shall find ; knock, and it shall be opened unto you." The
prayer of faith is the stated means of God's appointment for
drawing forth promised mercy and grace : Ezek. xxxvi. 37 :
" Thus saith the Lord God, I will yet for this be inquired of
by the house of Israel, to do it for them." So open-hearted
is the King, that his heart opens his ear to hear, and his hand-
to give. When we have asked great things of him, he chides
us, because we have not asked more and greater things ; and
bids us ask, and we shall "receive, that our joy may be full."
The voice of prayer makes :a sweet and melodious sound at
this throne: Cant. ii. 14: "Let me see thy countenance, let
me hear thy voice : for sweet is thy voice, and thy coun-
tenance is comely." ■•

10. Lastly, View him upon, a throne of grace, and you
shall see him as your own God: Wherever we find God in
all the word appearing from a throne of grace to sinners, we
shall still find him asserting himself to be their God in Christ.
Upon this throne he appears toAbraham : and what says he
to him? Gen. xvii. 7: "I will establish my covenant be-
tween me and thee, and thy iseed after thee, in their gene-
rations, for an everlasting covenant ; to be a God unto thee,
and to thy seed after thee." When this covenant was renew-
ed, or of new published at Mount Sinai, he says, P I am the
Lord thy God." This is the ordinary style of the covenant

250 ON THE THRONE OF GRACE. [sER.

of grace which issues from a throne of grace; "I will be
their God, and they shall be my people." Now, what can
be God's design in appearing to us sinners after such a man-
ner, but that we, who had forfeited all claim to him by the
breach of the first covenant may claim him as our God, even
our own God, upon the footing of free grace. There is so
much sweetness, grace, mercy, love, and salvation in God
manifesting himself from a throne of grace, that the soul,
whenever it views him by faith, is laid under an invincible,
though sweet necessity, to claim him as its own God in Christ,
saying with Thomas, " My Lord, and my God. He that is
my God, is the God of salvation ; and unto God the Lord be-
long the issues from death. And faith having once fixed the
soul's claim to God in Christ upon the covenant ground and
grant, it will maintain its claim to him upon the same ground,
even when clouds and darkness are round about him ; as the
church does, Is. xlix. 14: " The Lord hath forsaken me, and
my Lord hath forgotten me." Thus you see what amiable
views of the divine Majesty are to be had from a throne of
grace, or from God manifesting himself in the flesh, dealing
with sinners according to gospel-grace.

I come, in the third place, to offer a few scriptural remarks
respecting this throne.

1. I remark, that this throne is called " the throne of God,
and of the Lamb," Rev. xxii. 1. By which expression we
are taught, that both Father and Son are equally glorified in
this administration of grace ; there is no disjoining of them,
either as to their essence, interests, glory, or administration.
" My Father worketh hitherto, and I work," says Christ. As
they act by a joint power in the kingdom of providence ; so
they act in the same manner in the kingdom of grace. And
it is the will of God " that all men should honour the Son,
even as they honour the Father ; and every tongue must con-
fess, that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."
If the throne were only called, " The throne of God," it were
enough to scare a guilty sinner from ever looking towards it :
but when it is called, " The throne of God, and of the Lamb,"
this furnishes our souls with a more amiable view of the di-
vine Majesty, and declares him to be a God of peace, and
that he is like a meek lamb to every soul that comes to him
in the way of his own ordination : his terror needs not make
us afraid.

2. I remark, that " a pure river of water of life, clear as
crystal, proceeds out of" this throne, Rev. xxii. 1. By which
I know some (and I was once of their mind) understand
only those " rivers of pleasures," and that " fulness of joy,"
which the saints in glory are possessed of in the immediate

X.} Off TffE "fHTtONE Of GRACE. 251

vision and fruition of God for evermore : I do not exclude
this meaning. But to me it is clear, from the 17th verse of
the same chapter, that the river of water of life, spoken of
in the 1st verse, has a respect even to the church militant
here upon earth; because, ver. 17, there is an invitation by
the Spirit and the bride given to all to come, and take of
these waters of life freely, which proceed, ver. 1, from the
throne of God, and of the Lamb ; and therefore I do think
that, by this river issuing from the throne of God and of the
Lamb, we are to understand the Holy Spirit of God, which
proceeds from the Father and the Son, with his quickening,
cleansing, and comforting influences. This is compared fre-
quently to a river or flood in scripture, Is. xxxv. 6, 7, and
xliv. 3. Not a rivulet or brook, but a river, to signify the
plentiful, free, and liberal communications of the Spirit and
grace of God that should follow upon Christ's exaltation to
the throne in our nature. And this is not a muddy pool, but
a " pure" river: the Spirit of Christ is a Holy Spirit, and
purines the soul from the filth of sin. It is a river of " water
of life," because he has life in himself, and quickens the soul
that is dead in trespasses and sins. It is said to be "clear as
crystal," because he is a Spirit of wisdom and revelation, and
opens the eye-sight of the blinded understanding to know the
things that are freely given us of God."

3. I remark, that the Lamb is said to be " in the midst of
the throne," Rev. v. 6, and vii. 17 ; which not only signifies the
glory of his exalted state, having all power in heaven and in
earth, but more especially I judge this expression designed
for the encouragement of faith, that we may " come with bold-
ness to the throne, for grace and mercy to help in time of
need." Why, the meek and mild Lamb is " in the midst of the
throne," ready to take us by the hand, to hear and plead our
cause. He is a ready and diligent Advocate ; he is never out
of the way, or absent when our cause is tabled, as other ad-
vocates and friends many times are, when we have most need
of them, and of their moyen and interest. " We have a
great High Priest, that is passed inlo the heavens, Jesus
the Son of God." We have him as our Advocate with the
Father, continually appearing in the presence of God for
us.

4. I remark, that " the seven Spirits are before the throne,"
Rev. i. 4. So Rev. v. 6 : " The seven Spirits are sent forth
from the Lamb as it were slain, in the midst of the throne,
into all the earth." By which is signified the peculiar office
of the Holy Ghost in the application of the redemption pur-
chased by Christ ; called " seven," because of the variety of
his influences and operations. These are said to be "before the

252 ON THE THRONE OF GRACE. [SER.

throne," to show how ready the Spirit of God is to execute all
the acts of grace that are emitted from the throne of grace,
and to make them effectual by his infinite energy and power.
And these seven spirits of God are said to be " sent forth
from the Lamb as it were slain," to let us know, that the
sending, or down-pouring of the Spirit, and of his influences,
is the fruit and effect of the atoning sacrifice of Christ's death,
and of his prevalent intercession, grounded upon his propitia-
tion.

5. I remark, that this throne " standeth on mount Zion,"
Rev. xiv. 1. The Lamb stands there, and where the Lamb
stands, there must the throne stand also, for he is always in
the midst of it. By " mount Zion," which is an Old Testa-
ment expression, I understand the church of God, which is
partly militant on earth, and partly triumphant in heaven. —
They are all surrounding the same throne ; like Jacob's lad-
der, the foot of it stood in Bethel upon earth, but the top of
it reached the heavens. So this throne of grace stands upon
the earth in Bethel, the house of the living God, though in-
deed the top of it is high and lifted up above the height of
the highest heaveris: and all believers are come to it, whe-
ther they be in heaven or earth, though some be a step higher
than others, the glory of saints militant and triumphant dif-
fering only in degrees. Let a believer be in what part of
the world he will, still he will by faith make his way to a
throne of grace, that is, to a reconciled God in Christ, who
is every where present, and a very present help in the time of
need.

6. I remark, that this throne is surrounded with a " rain-
bow:" Rev. iv. 3: "There was a rainbow round about the
throne, in sight like unto an emerald." Which I pass at pre-
sent, because I intend a discourse upon it apart.

7. I remark, that this throne is crowded with innumerable
attendants in the church militant and triumphant, who .are
all paying the tribute of worship and homage to him that sits
upon it: Rev. v. 11 — 13: "And I beheld, and I heard the
voice of many angels round about the throne, and the beasts
and the elders : and the number of them was ten thousand
times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands ; saying with
a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain, to receive
power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and
glory, and blessing. And every creature, which is in heaven,
and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the
sea, and all that are in them, heard I, saying, Blessing, and
honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon
the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever." Where
you see all the saints in heaven and earth are surrounding

X.] ON THE THRONE OF GRACE. 253

this glorious throne of which we now speak. O blessed are
they whom he chooses and causes to approach to him among
this numerous company.

8. I remark, that the basis and foundation of this throne
is " the righteousness of Christ." It is laid in justice satis-
fied, and judgment executed upon the Son of God. " Justice
and judgment are the habitation of his throne." But this
leads to,

II. The second thing proposed in the method, which is to
speak of the foundation of this throne, and that is justice and
judgment.

For clearing of this, 1. Take a few propositions. 2. A few
properties of this foundation.

First, Take a few propositions. ,

1. ' When God had created man, he entered into a covenant
of life with him, upon condition of perfect obedience; forbid-
ding him to eat of the tree of knowledge of good and evil,
upon the pain of death.'

2. Man, by the breach of this covenant, has incurred the
penalty thereof, 'whereby all mankind have lost communion
with God, are under his wrath and curse, and so made liable
to all the miseries in this life, to death itself, and to the pains
of hell for ever.'

3. God, in his amazing grace and love both admitted of a
Surety, and provided one, even his eternal Son, who volunta-
rily undertook our redemption, and was actually substituted
in our room. He laid on him the iniquity of us all.

4. The Son of God, in consequence of his undertaking as
our Surety, having assumed our nature, and put himself in
our law-place, a cry was made in heaven by justice, ' Awake,
O sword, against my shepherd, and against the man that is my

fellozo : smite the shepherd, make thyself drunk with his royal
blood ; do not spare him, exact the debt of him to the utmost
farthing.' He endured the curse in our room, being made a
curse for us.

5. Whatever justice demanded of the Surety, it was exe-
cuted upon the Lord Jesus Christ. Did justice demand that
the cautioner should be of one common nature with the sin-
ner ? This accordingly is executed ; for " the word was made
flesh, and dwelt among us;" he was made of a woman, and
took part of the children's flesh; he became our kinsman, that
the right of redemption might belong to him. Did justice de-
mand that the honour of the holy law should be repaired by
a perfect obedience? This accordingly is executed by the
Surety ; for he " fulfilled all righteousness, he magnified the
law, and made it honourable." Did justice demand that the
curse and penalty of the law should be endured 1 This is ac-

vol. i. 22

254 ON" THE THRONE OF GRACE. [SER.

cordingly executed ; for he " was made a curse for us," that
he might " redeem us from the curse of the law." Did jus-
tice demand that the head of the old serpent should be bruised,
and that vengeance should be executed upon the grand ene-
my of God's glory, and of man's good and happiness? This
accordingly is done ; for he " spoiled principalities and powers,
and triumphed over them in his cross." Did justice demand
that sin, the first-born of the devil, should be put out of the
way 1 This accordingly is done ; for he " finished transgres-
sion, and made an end of sin : he condemned sin in the flesh,
that the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us."

6. Justice being satisfied, and the law magnified, and the
Lord well pleased for the righteousness' sake of the glorious
Surety, God thereupon rears up a throne of grace, and pro-
claims himself to be " The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and
gracious, — forgiving iniquity and transgression, and sin,"&c;
and accordingly passes acts of grace from this throne, saying,
" I will be their God, and they shall be my people : I will be
merciful to their unrighteousness: I will sprinkle them with
clean water ;" and the like. And thus you see upon what
basis or foundation the throne of grace is reared.

Secondly, I shall give you a few qualities or properties of
the foundation of this throne, where grace reigns through
righteousness.

1. It is an ancient foundation; for Christ was "set up from
everlasting, or ever the earth was;" he is " the Lamb slain
from the foundation of the world." And upon the credit of
his promise to satisfy justice in the fulness of time, all the Old
Testament saints were saved.

2. It is a foundation of God's own laying ; " Behold, I lay
in Zion a foundation." He had pleasure in laying it. When
he laid it decretively from all eternity, he did it with plea-
sure: "I have found a ransom:" he speaks of it with a kind
of gloriation and boasting : " I have laid help upon one that
is mighty: I have found David my servant." When he laid
it actually in his incarnation, he did it with pleasure : " It
pleased the Lord to bruise him." When he laid this founda-
tion doctrinally in Zion, he did it with pleasure, Is. xxviii. 16,
he proclaims to the world, declaring, that " whosoever builds
upon it, shall not be ashamed."

3. It is a firm foundation upon which God has built his
throne of grace ; it is the surest foundation on which a throne
can be built. The throne of iniquity, or the throne that is
founded upon injustice, shall surely be overturned : but here
is a throne built upon justice and judgment. Christ is called
a rock, " Upon this rock I will build my church ;" and the
church and the throne of grace have the same bottom.

X,] ON THE THRONE OF GRACE. 255

4. It is a tried foundation. Justice tried it, and found it firm
and stable ; when mountains of wrath and vengeance were
rolled upon it, it bore up under all. The powers of hell tried
to overturn this foundation ; but their kingdom and power
was broken in pieces in the enterprise ; the little stone cut
out of the mountain, broke the head of the great Goliah. The
saints have all tried this foundation, and proclaim it sufficient
to bear their weight; yea, it is sufficient to bear the weight
of all mankind, yea, of millions of worlds, if they existed, and
would venture upon it; " He is able to save to the uttermost,
all that come unto God by him."

5. It is a precious foundation : " We are not redeemed with
corruptible things, as silver and gold; but with the precious
blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without
spot." The gold and silver cannot equal it; the topaz of
Ethiopia is not to be named in one day with it ; it is more
glorious and excellent by far than all the mountains of prey.

6. It is a most beautiful foundation. What God says of
his church, Is. liv. 11, is much more true of the throne of
grace, " Behold, I will lay thy stones with fair colours, and
lay thy foundations with sapphires." There is such a beauty
in this foundation of the throne of grace, that it reflects a
beauty upon every one that approaches it ; so that they come
away from it " like the wings of a dove covered with silver,
and her feathers with yellow gold."

7. To crown all, it is a perpetual, durable, and everlasting
foundation : and hence comes the perpetuity of the throne it-
self, Psal. Ixxxix. 4 : " Thy seed will I establish for ever, and
build up thy throne to all generations." So Psal. lxxii. 17 :
" His name shall endure for ever ; his name shall be continued
as long as the sun." The priesthood of Christ is the founda-
tion of the throne of grace; and this priesthood is to continue,
by the oath of God : Psal. ex. 4 : " The Lord hath sworn, and
will not repent, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of
Melchizedek." I proceed now to,

IIL The third general head in the method. Having viewed
the foundation, let us next take a view of some pillars with
which this throne, this royal administration of grace, is sup-
ported, and which contribute not a little to its stability. And,
not to enlarge upon particulars, the foundation of this throne
being laid in the satisfaction of justice, all the other perfec-
tions, or attributes of the divine nature, fall in for the support
of the reign and administration of grace. " Mercy and truth
are met together; righteousness and peace kiss each other;"
they sweetly join hands in promoting this glorious design, as
you see in the context. O, says infinite wisdom, all my im-
mense treasures shall dwell bodily in the man Christ Jesus,

256 ON THE THRONE OF GRACE. [sER.

he shall be " the wisdom of God in a mystery," that so he
may be in a capacity to hold the reins, and manage all things
in heaven and earth, for the advancement of the glory of free
grace, reigning through righteousness to eternal life. O, says
infinite power, " with him my hand shall be established : mine
arm also shall strengthen him " in his undertaking. " I will
beat down his foes before his face, and greatly plague them
that hate him." O, says holiness, although I be " of purer
eyes than to behold iniquity," yet 1 plainly see, that justice
being satisfied for the guilt of sin in the death of the Son of
God, the filth of it shall be hid out of my sight, and his blood
shall be alaver to wash it away, that I be not offended: and
therefore I am so far from hindering this administration of
grace through Christ, that I lay myself in pledge to promote
and carry on the glorious design : " Once have I sworn by
my holiness, that I will not lie unto David." O, says mercy,
I am so related to grace, that I cannot shun to give my vote,
that the throne of grace should go on apace, " My mercy will
I keep for him for evermore. My mercy shall be with him :
and in my name shall his horn be exalted." O, says the
faithfulness and veracity of God, whatever promises grace
has made, in a covenant of grace, I bind and oblige myself
to make them good : " Heaven and earth shall pass away, '
but one jot or tittle " of God's word of grace shall never fall
to the ground. " I will not take my love from him, nor suf-
fer my faithfulness to fail. My covenant will I not break,
nor alter the thing that is gone out of my lips." And thus I
have given you a short view of these glorious pillars which
contribute to the establishment of the throne of grace, upon
the foundation of justice and judgment.

IV. The fourth thing is, to inquire zvhy it is God will have
justice satisfied, and judgment executed upon the Surety, to be the
foundation of his throne of grace ?

I shall not multiply reasons for this, but shall only touch
upon one for all, which the apostle gives, Rom. v. 31 ; name-
ly, " That grace might reign through righteousness unto eter-
nal life, by Jesus Christ our Lord." So that, if it be asked,
Why will God have it so, that justice satisfied, and judgment
executed on the Surety, should be the foundation of the throne
of grace ? The answer is, "That grace might reign through
righteousness ;" that the glory of grace might be displayed
in consistency with the honour of divine justice.

Here a question offers, How does grace reign, or how is
the glory of grace displayed in and by the righteousness of a
surety ?

Answ. 1. Grace reigns and is displayed in the contrivance
of this righteousness ; for it is the device of infinite wisdom,

X.] ON THE THRONE OF GRACE. 257

animated and inspired by free grace. When man had fallen
under the sentence of the law, justice was ready to execute
judgment upon him : but grace cries, Stop, and stay thy hand,
for " I have found a ransom." 2 Sam. xiv. 14: "God doth
devise means, that his banished be not expelled." Our first
parents provoked God to drive them out of Paradise, and ac-
cordingly they were actually driven out of his presence; but
infinite wisdom, actuated and animated by the bowels of
mercy, contrives a way in which banished man may be
brought home again in consistency with justice, and that is
by the righteousness of the Messiah.

2. Grace reigns and is displayed in the acceptation of this
righteousness. What but infinite love and grace could pre-
vail with inexorable justice, so far to dispense with the rigour
of the law, as to admit of a surety's righteousness in the room
of the sinner ! But this I touched upon already. And there-
fore,

3. Grace reigns in the impetration of this righteousness ;
for " God," in his amazing grace, " sent forth his Son, made
of a woman, made under the law, to redeem them that were
under the law." That righteousness by which we are justi-
fied, is the very righteousness of God in our nature; he
wrought it by his doing and dying. O, how does grace reign
here ! Faith's views of this may fill us all with wonder, and
make us cry with the church, Is. lxiii. 1, " Who is this that
cometh from Edom, with dyed garments from Bozrah? this
that is glorious in his apparel, travelling in the greatness of
his strength ?"

4. Grace reigns in the revelation of this righteousness.
Grace was not content to contrive and bring about this right-
eousness, but the news of it must be published and proclaimed
to a lost world, as it were by sound of trumpet. Hence the
apostle, Rom. i. 17, when he would give us an account of
the sum and substance of the gospel, does it in one word,
"The gospel is the power of God unto salvation; for therein
is revealed the righteousness of God." O how forward was
the grace of God, to have the proclamation respecting the sa-
tisfaction of justice by a surety issued out ? Adam had scarce
sinned, till grace intimates the plot to him in the first pro-
mise; " The seed of the woman shall bruise the head of the
serpent." The Messiah is scarce born in Bethlehem, till an
angel is despatched from heaven to notify it to the shepherds ;
" Unto you is born this day, in the city of David, a Saviour,
which is Christ the Lord."

5. Grace reigns and is displayed in the appropinquation,
or the bringing near of this righteousness to the sinner in a
preached gospel. Not only does grace reveal the righteous-

22*

258 ON THE THRONE OF GRACE. [sER.

ness of God, but it brings it near to the sinner, in order to be
accepted and received: Is. xlvi. 12, 13: "Hearken unto me,
ye stout-hearted, that are far from righteousness. I bring
near my righteousness : it shall not be far off*," &c. It is
brought near to the sinner, just as the manna was brought
near to Israel, when it fell about their tent-doors ; they had
not far to go for it.

6. Grace reigns and is displayed in the imputation of this
righteousness. And, indeed, there is a great mystery of grace
here, that cannot be expressed in words; how a guilty sin-
ner, that has violated the law, and is obnoxious to justice,
comes to be sustained in the sight of God- as though he had
fulfilled the law, and satisfied justice in his own person, and
to be put in a condition to say, "Who shall lay any thing to
my charge 1 It is God that justifieth : who is he that con-
demned V

7. Grace reigns in the soul's acceptation of this righteous-
ness by faith. There is nothing in all the world that runs so
cross to proud nature, as to renounce all its own righteous-
ness, its obedience, duties, endeavours, its own grace and ho-
liness, in point of acceptance, and to submit to the righteous-
ness of another, and to be obliged to the doing and dying of
the Son of God alone. This was a stone of stumbling to the
Jews; they could never imagine any other way of justifica-
tion before God, but " by the works of the law ;M and there-
fore they " went about to establish a righteousness of their
own, and would not submit unto the righteousness of God."
Now, I say, to unhinge a sinner from this legal foundation,
to bring down these towering imaginations of a righteousness
in ourselves, to cast down the " refuge of lies, and to bring
the proud conceited sinner that length, as to own and ac-
knowledge, that his own righteousness is but " as filthy rags,"
saying, " Surely in the Lord " only " have I righteousness and
strength ; in him " will I " be justified, and in him " alone will
I " glory." I say, grace reigns, and is wonderfully displayed
in all this.

8. Grace reigns through righteousness, inasmuch as that
it is by the revelation of this justice-satisfying righteousness,
that grace conquers and powerfully subdues sinners, brings
them under its own government and dominion. The apostle,
speaking of believers, Rom. vi. 14, says, "Ye are not under
the law, but under grace ;" that is, ye are brought in under
the government and administration of grace. But what way
is it that grace conquers them 1 what is the great engine
made use of for this end 1 It is just the revelation of the
righteousness of Christ in the gospel, Rom. i. 15: " The gos-
pel is the power of God unto salvation." What way ? Mark

X.] ON THE THRONE OF GRACE. 259

the expression, ver. 17 : "For therein is the righteousness of
God revealed from faith to faith." From which it is plain,
that the preaching of an imputed righteousness, as the alone
ground of a sinner's acceptance, is the very pith and marrow
of the gospel. Some, now-a-days, have got a way of preach-
ing, which, I believe, will never convert a soul ; they deliver
fine elegant harangues of morality, adorning them with all
the flowers of rhetoric ; but, in the mean time, they do but
stink in the nostrils of a solid Christian. Why ? Because
though they preach up a moral righteousness, yet they have
little or nothing of the righteousness of Christ, which is the
very basis and foundation of a throne of grace : and when
that is wanting, they want the true Shibboleth of the gospel ;
for the gospel is a revelation of " the righteousness of God ;"
and this makes it to be " the power of God unto salvation."

Here I judge it not amiss, to subjoin a quotation from the
great and judicious Owen to this purpose, in his commentary
on the Hebrews, chap, v 7 : ' Some are of the mind,' says
he, ' that the whole business of ministers is to be conversant
in and about morality. For this fountain and spring of grace,'
the righteousness and satisfaction of Christ ; ' this basis of
eternal glory ; this evidence and demonstration of divine wis-
dom, holiness, righteousness, and love, this great discovery
of the purity of the law, and vileness of sin ; this first, great,
principal subject of the gospel, and motive of faith and obe-
dience ; this root and cause of all peace with God, all sin-
cere and incorrupted love toward him, and all joy and con-
solation from him, they think it scarcely deserves a place in
the objects of their contemplation, and are ready to guess,
that what men write and talk about it, is but phrases, canting,
and fanatical. But such as are admitted into the fellowship
of the sufferings of Christ, will not so easily part with their
immortal interest and concern therein. Yea, I fear not to
say, that he is likely to be the best, the most humble, the
most holy and fruitful Christian, who is most sedulous and
diligent in spiritual inquiries into this great mystery, of the
reconciliation of God unto sinners by the blood of the cross,
and in the exercise of faith about it. Nor is there any such
powerful means of preserving the soul in a constant abhor-
rence of sin, and watchfulness against it, as a due apprehen-
sion of what it cost to make atonement for it."

V. The fifth thing was the application of the doctrine.
And the first use shall be of information, in the following par-
ticulars : —

1. Is it so that justice satisfied, and judgment executed upon
the ever-blessed Surety, is the foundation of a throne of
grace? then, hence we may see what an expensive piece of

260 OIT THE THRONE OF GRACE. [SER.

work a throne of grace is. Why, the foundation of it is laid
in the death and blood of the Son of God. When God is
about to erect a throne of glory for himself, as the great
Creator and Governor of the world, he makes little or no
ceremony about it ; he only says, Let it be, and immediately
heaven, which is his throne, and the earth, which is his foot-
stool, springs out of nothing in wonderful order ; but when
the throne of grace is to be reared, justice must be satisfied,
and judgment executed upon the Son of God ; he must " be-
come sin for us, and a curse for us, that the righteousness of
the law might be fulfilled in us, and we made the righteous-
ness of God in him."

2. See from this doctrine, the glory of a gospel-dispen-
sation. We read sometimes of the glorious gosped of the blessed
God; why, here is the reason of the denomination, the royal
majesty of the grace of God reigning through the righteous-
ness of his eternal Son, is here displayed and manifested.
God has erected a glorious high throne for the place of his
sanctuary; and " for the beauty of his ornament, he hath set
it in majesty," Ezek. vii. 20. There was much of the divine
glory manifested in the delivery of the law on mount Sinai,
and in the typical dispensation of the Old Testament : but, O!
all that glory vanished, like a shadow, at the greater glory
that is manifested in the actual erection of a throne of grace,
by the incarnation, obedience, death, resurrection, and as-
cension of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the manifestation of
him that is made by the word now under the New Testa-
ment: 2 Cor. iii. 7 — 11. "But if the ministration of death,
written and engraven in stones, was glorious, so that the
children of Israel could not steadfastly behold the face of
Moses, for the glory of his countenance, which glory was to
be done away; how shall not the ministration of the Spirit be
rather glorious? For if the ministration of condemnation be
glory, much more doth the ministration of righteousness ex-
ceed in glory. For even that which was made glorious, had
no glory in this respect, by reason of the glory that excelleth.
For if that which is done away was glorious, much more that
which remaineth is glorious." O let us prize our mercy,
who live under the New Testament dispensation, in which
" all we with open face, beholding as in a glass the glory of
the Lord, may be changed into the same image, from glory
to glory, as by the Spirit of the Lord."

3. If it be so that justice satisfied, and judgment executed
upon Christ, is the foundation of a throne of grace ; then, see
hence, that the salvation of a lost sinner by grace is very con-
sistent with the honour of divine justice ; why, justice and
judgment are the very habitation of this throne. Some poor

X.] OS THE THRONE OF GRACE. 261

souls, when they fall under the challenges and awakenings ot
conscience, are ready to think and say, O it is needless for
me ever to think that God will extend his grace and mercy
to me : why, my sins are of such a bloody hue, of such an
aggravated nature, that I cannot think that ever it will stand
with the justice of God to pity and pardon, or save the like
of me. But, O sirs, will you consider, that God has already
taken care for the satisfaction of his justice, in the death and
blood of his eternal Son, and laid the foundation of his throne
of grace upon that. And therefore, you are not to think or
imagine, that justice will be your enemy in coming for grace
and mercy to a throne of grace: no, no; God is just and
righteous in saving the sinner that comes to this throne, as
well as in damning the sinner that will not come. Yea, let
me tell you, that the justice of God gets more glory in saving
of sinners through the blood and satisfaction of Jesus, than in
the damnation and ruin of all the reprobates and unbelievers
in the world; for the believing sinner takes the ransom that
God has found, and presents that to justice, and the Lord is
well pleased with this ; he smells a sweet savour in this pro-
pitiatory sacrifice.

4. See hence, the excellency and infinite value of the blood
of Jesus, and how much we owe to it; why, by this blood
justice is satisfied, and thereby a foundation laid for a throne
of grace, to which we are called to come with boldness:
Heb. x. 19 : " Having, therefore, brethren, boldness to enter
into the holiest by the blood of Jesus." There are these two
things effected by the blood of Jesus, from which our obliga-
tions to it will especially appear. (1.) By this blood sprinkled
upon the tribunal of justice, the tribunal itself is turned into a
mercy-seat: an angry God is reconciled and pacified, and in-
vites the guilty sinner to come for grace and mercy to help
him. (2.) By this blood the curse of the law is abolished.
The curse of a broken law stands as an insuperable bar in the
way of our access to God ; but now, by the blood of Jesus,
this hand-writing that was against us is cancelled, being
nailed to the cross. And whenever this blood is applied by
faith, the sentence goes forth from a throne of grace. There
is no more condemnation for the man, for he is in Christ, un-
der the covert of blood. It is God that justifieth him; who is
he that dare condemn him? God, the great Lawgiver, justi-
fieth; and what has any other to say against him, if the Law-
giver acquit him?

5. Has God erected a throne of grace at the expense of
the death and satisfaction of his eternal Son? Then I would
have you try, whether you be courtiers about this throne.
Wast thou ever at a throne of grace, man, woman? Perhaps

262 ON THE THRONE OF GRACE. [SER.

you may think this a very strange question. ' Why,' say you,
1 have you so little charity as to think that we never prayed ?
Blessed be God, we are at a throne of grace every morning
and evening; we read, hear, pray, communicate, and yet will
you ask, if ever we were at a throne of grace?' I answer,
A man may do all that, and never yet really come to this
throne, that has judgment and justice for its foundation and
habitation. What, then, is it to come to a throne of grace?
Ans. It is to come out of yourself to a God in Christ, as your
only hope and help; it is to receive Christ and rest on him ; for
all those ends and uses for which he is revealed and offered in
the glorious gospel. In one word, to come to a throne of grace,
is, by faith in the blood of Jesus, to enter into the presence of
a holy God. 'How shall I know if ever I thus came to this
throne?' Ans. There are a few things in the context which
follows my text, which may be improved as marks for your
trial. As,

1st, If ever you have come to a throne of grace, you have
seen mercy and truth going before the face of him that sits
on the throne. Justice and judgment are the habitation of his
throTie; and what follows? Mercy and truth shall go before his
face : that is, not only mercy in the abstract, but mercy con-
nected with, and conveyed in a word of truth. I think it
very remarkable, that these two, mercy and truth, are com-
monly linked together in scripture, Psal. lxxxv. 10 : "Mercy
and truth are met together." John i. 17: "Grace and truth
came by Jesus Christ ;" and ver. 14 : Christ is said to be full
of grace and truth. Why are these joined together? The
plain reason is, because all the mercy that is in the heart of
God, is conveyed in a true and faithful word of promise: so
that whatever mercy we want from God, we must always look
for it in a promise or word of truth : " What God has joined,
no man must put asunder." Some have a way of grasping
at the mercy of God absolutely considered, never viewing it
as it is in Christ, or as it is in the covenant and word of truth.
But, sirs, the mercy of God in this view never saved a sinner :
they who really come to a throne of grace, and view God as he
is in Christ, see mercy, and truth coupled together, and they
dare not claim mercy, but upon the ground of the promise or
covenant established in Christ; and this is all their salvation.

2dly, If ever you were really at the throne, you have heard
the joyful sound that issues out from the throne : ver. 15 :
" Blessed is the people that know the joyful sound," namely,
the joyful sound of the King's voice that sits on the throne of
grace. The voice of God in Christ has a certain peculiar air
with it, by which the believer knows it from the voice of a
stranger : " My sheep," says Christ, " know my voice." Cant.

X.j Otf THE THROtfE Of GRACE. 263

ii. 8, no sooner does Christ speak, but immediately the spouse
cries, " It is the voice of my beloved ! behold, he cometh."
O, sirs, you are all hearing (he sound of a man's voice ; but
I ask, Do you hear the voice of Christ coming forth from a
throne of grace I His words are spirit, and they are life.
They have such a divine majesty and melody in them, that
they make an echo of praise to rebound back to heaven:
hence we read, that, upon the publication of the gospel among
the gentiles, songs are heard ascending upward, Is. xxiv. 16.

Zdly, If ever you came to this throne, and saw the King
upon the throne, you will highly value the light of his coun-
tenance; you will put such a value upon his smiles, that you
cannot think of living without them. His countenance will
make day with you ; and when he withdraws, all the stars of
created comforts cannot supply his room.

Athly, The King's name will be like " ointment poured
forth:" ver. 16: "In thy name shall they rejoice all the day."
His name will be a strong tower to you, to which you will
flee for safety; and there will be such a savour in it to thy
soul, that thou wilt be ambitious to cause his name to be re-
membered to all generations, that the people may praise him
for ever and ever.

blhly, If ever you were at this throne, and dignified with
his acceptance and approbation, you will look upon his right-
eousness as the only ground of your promotion and advance-
ment: ver. 16: " In thy righteousness shall they be exalted."
' O,' will the poor soul say, 'it was not my goodness, my holi-
ness, my righteousness, that brought me to this honour: no, it
was the obedience and death of my Surety, the righteousness
that he brought in: " In him have I righteousness; and I count
all things but loss and dung that I may win Christ, and be found
in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the
law, but that which is through faith" in him.'

Qthly, He will be " the glory of your strength," and his
strength will be your glory, ver. 17. When you are helped
to the exercise of any grace, to do or suffer any thing for
him, you will ascribe the glory of it to him alone : " Not I,
but the grace of God in me : Not unto us, O Lord, not unto
us, but unto thy name be the glory."

Ithly, If ever you were at this throne of grace, you will be
much taken up in admiring the freedom of his grace and love
reigning through imputed righteousness; you will see grace
written in capital letters on every step of the throne of grace,
and in every step of your salvation : ver. 17 : " In thy favour
our horn shall be exalted." Was 1 elected from eternity ?
My election is of grace. Was 1 redeemed by the blood of
Jesus ? This is " according to the riches of his grace." Am

204 ON THE THROVE OF GRACE. [sER.

I justified, sanctified, adopted, or effectually called? It is
grace, grace that has done all ; " by the grace of God I am
what I am."

8thly. If you be acquainted with a throne of grace, a God
of grace will be your only sanctuary, ver. 18: " The Lord
is our defence ;" and what time you are afraid, you will trust
in him. He will be to you " a hiding-place from the wind,
and a covert from the tempest ; as the shadow of a great rock
in a weary land : for he is the strength of the poor, and of
the needy in his distress, a refuge from the storm, a shadow
from the heat, when the blast of the terrible ones is as a storm
against the wall." When you are pursued by sin, by Satan,
by the law, by conscience ; when you are surrounded with
trouble from without, or from within, you will turn to him
as your " strong hold," as it is said of the " prisoners of
hope."

hlhly, If you be acquainted with a throne of grace, the King
that sits upon the throne will be your only Lord and Sove-
reign: ver. 18: "The holy One of Israel is our King."
You will renounce allegiance to other lords, and make men-
tion of his name, saying, " The Lord is my judge, the Lord
is my lawgiver, the Lord is my king; he will save me." And
you will love your King so well, that you will love his law,
and approve of it as " holy, just, and good," because it is a
transcript of the holiness of his nature; you will say, with
David, " I esteem all his precepts concerning all things to be
right : His yoke is easy, and his burden is light." Now, try
yourselves by these things, whether you be courtiers at this
throne of grace, which hath justice satisfied, and judgment
executed on the Surety, for its basis or foundation. You may
easily remember these marks, because they are all in the
fext, and the three following verses.

6. Is it so, that God has erected a throne of grace at the
expense of the satisfaction of his justice? O then, sirs, I
would invite you all to come to this throne. People usually
need little entreaty to come to the thrones of earthly princes;
every body is ambitious to be near the throne. Well, I in-
vite, I call, beseech, and entreat you to draw near to the
throne of the Prince of the kings of the earth, the King of
kings, and Lord of lords. Now, that I may carry home the
exhortation the more effectually upon your souls, I shall en-
deavour to answer and obviate a few practical questions,
which will readily arise in your minds upon such a call or
exhortation.

Quest. 1. Who is it that calls us? We hear you that are
ministers calling us to come to the throne of grace ; that is
not enousrh to us, we would know if the Kiny; himself would

x1 ON THE THRONE OF GRACE. 265

make us welcome, I answer, It is not we, but the King
himself that calls you to come to his throne. We that are
ministers are only the heralds sent forth to intimate and pro-
claim the King's pleasure ; and if you ask for our instructions
or commission, we shall very readily produce them, that you
may read them with your own eyes under the King's hand.
2 Cor. v. 19—21 : " God was in Christ, reconciling the world
unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them;" (there
is the throne of grace, to wit, " God reconciling the world
to himself;" our commission follows in the close of the
19th, and in the 20th verses ;) " and hath committed unto us
the word of reconciliation. Now, then, we are ambassadors
for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us ; we pray
you, in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God. For he hath
made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin ; that we might
be made the righteousness of God in him." Now, there is
our commission, the word of reconciliation is committed to
us, that is, the publication of this gospel of the grace of God;
and when we invite you to come to a reconciled God in
Christ, we speak in the name of God, and we are in the very
room of Christ. What would you think, if Christ were
standing in my place speaking to you, requiring and inviting
you to come to his throne for grace and mercy 1 Well, the
case is the very same, when we act by commission from him.
So, then, it is God that calls you by us.

Quest. 2. Whom does he call 1 Does God call every body
to come to his throne of grace 1 That is not an ordinary
thing; all the subjects are not allowed to come near the
throne, but only some peculiar favourites. Answ. It is true,
it is so among earthly princes ; it is only some peculiar fa-
vourites whom they allow to approach the throne or seat of
majesty, otherwise their thrones would be too much crowded.

But it is otherwise in the court of the great King, who has
justice and judgment for the habitation of his throne; for all
and every one that hears the joyful sound of the gospel, which
issues out of this throne, are invited and called to come to the
throne of grace. And this will appear if you consider,

1. The extensiveness of the commission which God has
given to ministers: Mark xvi. 15: "Go ye into all the world,
and preach the gospel to every creature ;" that is, to Jews
and gentiles, barbarians, Scythians, bond, or free, noble, and
ignoble. Every rational soul you shall meet with, sprung of
Adam, go preach the gospel to them; that is, tell them in the
name of a God of grace this good news, that God's throne is
now accessible, and every one who has a mind may come to it
for grace and mercy to help in time of need.

2. The command of God enjoining you to come to a throne
vol. i. 23

2GG OS THE THRONE OF GRACE. [S£R.

of grace is unto all: 1 John iii. 23: "*This is his command-
ment, that we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus
Christ ;" which is all one with coming to a throne of grace.
The law of believing extends to all mankind that hear this
gospel. And remember that, for disobedience to this law,
you are " condemned already, and the wrath of God abideth
on you." (

3. As the command of believing is to all, so the promise of
welcome to a throne of grace is to all and every one, for their
encouragement to come. " Him that comcth to me," says
Christ, " I will in no wise cast out. Whosoever believeth,
shall not perish, but have everlasting life." Do not think that
the promise in the exhibition belongs only to the elect, or to
believers: no, no; "the promise is unto you, and to your
seed, and to all that are afar off." Thus, I say, all that live
under the joyful sound of the gospel are called to come to a
throne o( grace.

Quest. 3. You bid us come to a throne of grace; but where
is it? we do not know where to find it. I answer, Wherever
you have access to God in any of the duties of his worship,
there you may find the throne of grace. Indeed, under the
Old Testament, when the centre of worship was confined to
the temple of Jerusalem, the poor gentiles were at a loss
where to come to a throne of grace ; but now, under the New
Testament, the centre of worship is removed from them, and
placed among us Gentiles ; so that whatever part of the earth
you be upon, if the heavens be above your head, you need
not be at a loss where to find a throne of grace: though you
were shut up in a prison or dungeon, though you were driven
to the utmost part of the earth, from friend, kin and ally, yet
vou cannot be driven away from a throne of grace. In a
word, there is no place on this side of hell but you may find
this throne, a God in Christ being a God every where present;
" he is not far from every one of us." So much seems to be
intimated by Christ to the woman of Samaria, John iv. 21 —
23: " Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall
neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem worship the
Father. Ye worship ye know not what : we know what we
worship: for salvation is of the Jews. But the hour cometh,
and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Fa-
ther in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to
worship him."

Quest. 4. What is the way we are to take to reach this
throne of grace 1 Amw. In all the world I know of no way
but one, and that is Christ: John xiv. 6: "I am the way,
and the truth and the life : no man cometh unto the Father,
but by me." As Christ, or God in Christ, is the throne, so he

X.] ON THE THRONE OF GRACE. 267

is also the way to the throne. An incarnate Deity is the sin-
ner's way to God, as well, as God's way to the sinner : Heb.
x. J9, 20: "We have boldness to enter into the holiest by
the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which he hath
consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh."
The human nature of Christ assumed to the personality of
the Son of God, is the portal or gate by which we enter into
the throne of grace : John x. 9 : " I am the door : by me if
any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out,
and find pasture." This door of the human nature of Christ
was broken into shivers by the hammer of God's wrath, that
so our way might be patent to a throne of grace, to arecon-
ciled God : hence we read of the rending of the veil of the
temple from top to'bottom at the death of Christ. This, then,
is " the gate of God," and by it the sinner may, and the saint
doth, " enter into the court" of the " great King," and " come
to his seat." Some folk have a mistaken notion, as if they
actually came to a throne of grace every time they give their
bodily presence at the ordinances of God's appointment, such
as prayer, hearing the word, communicating, or the like- I
own, indeed, that these external duties are the outer gates
and porches by which we come to the throne, therefore called
the gales of Zio/i, especially public ordinances are intended by
that denomination : but, O sirs, many a man comes to these
gates that never comes to the throne ; of such the Lord com-
plains, saying, " This people draw near me with their mouth,
and with their lips do honour me, but have removed their
heart far from me." True coming or drawing near to a
throne of grace, is an inward thing; it is done by an act of
the heart ; for " with the heart man believeth unto righteous-
ness." When the heart goes into God in Christ, for grace
and mercy to help in time of need, that is coming to a throne
of grace. So then, I say, Christ is the only way to the throne,
as he is the throne itself.

Quest. 5. After what manner should we come to this
throne ?

Anszv. 1. If you would come aright, you would come with
an empty hand. Do not bring money or price with you ; for
when we come to a throne of grace, we come to get, but not
to give any thing to the Lord. You that make a price of your
prayers, communicating, and other good deeds and qualifica-
tions, you cannot come successfully at the throne of grace. —
Remember that it is a " throne of grace " and therefore nothing
is to be gotten there in a way of debt.

2. Come with enlarged desires after what you come to ask ;
for " he satisfieth the longing soul, and filleth the hungry soul
with goodness,"

268 O.V THE THROVE OF GRACE. [SER.

3. Come with confidence, hope, and filial boldness. God
would not have you to come hanging your heads, like con-
demned criminals coming to their judge to receive a sentence
of death: no: but he would have us come to him with confi-
dence, as children to a father, trusting in him, and looking for
good things at his hand, because of his goodness, veracity,
and other perfections manifested in Christ. Come, I say, with
hope and expectation ; for u he taketh pleasure in them that
fear him. in those that hope in his mercv." It is a general
fault among us, that we go to God in prayer, and other ordi-
nances, as if he were niggardly of his blessings, or were un-
willing to part with his grace. But, O sirs, this is not the
way to succeed. Let not that man expect to receive any
thing from the Lord who comes doubting and wavering, en-
tertaining jealousies of the love and goodness of a reconciled
God.

4. Come to this throne with importunity. Follow Jacob's
practice, " I will not let thee go, except thou bless me. The
effectual fervent prayer of the righteous availeth much."

o. Make much use of the Spirit as a " Spirit of grace and
supplication," that he may help your infirmities at the throne.
It is he who "fills our mouths with arguments," and teaches
us to pray •• with groanings which cannot be uttered." And
he has promised his Spirit to them that ask him.

The last use I make of the doctrine shall be directed to
believers, who are courtiers about this throne. And all I
shall say to you shall be, 1. In a word of consolation ; 2. Of
exhortation.

Fir;', A word of consolation. Know then, believer, for thy
comfort, that u the holy One of Israel is thy King, and in his
favour thy horn shall be exalted ; mercy and truth shall go
before his face," with a special view to thy happiness in time
and through eternity. All the grace and mercy that is in the
heart of the King, is ordained for thee, and secured to thee
by a well ordered covenant. The whole of his administra-
tions, whether of grace or of providence, are calculated for
thy benefit and advantage, Rom. viii. 28. You are the chil-
dren of the King ; he has adopted thee into his family, yea,
settled an inheritance upon thee, as "heirs of God, and joint-
heirs with himself.'' You are upon the King's secrets, and
he will tell you things which he will not communicate to the
rest of the world, even the secrets of his government of grace.
" Unto vou it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom
of God, but to others it is not given. — The secret of the Lord
is with them that fear him : and he will show them his cove-
nant'' And, to crown all, there is no case thou canst be in
while in the world, but thou wilt have an act of grace suited

X.] OX THE THROXE OF GRACE. 269

and adapted to thy circumstances, registered in the court-
book, I mean, in the scriptures of the Old and New Testa-
ment, every act sealed with the blood of the King, touched
with his royal sceptre ; yea, thou hast the extract of it in
thy hand. O what strong ground of consolation -is here to
you who by faith are acquainted with this throne!

A second word is of exhortation, or counsel to believers,
who have come to this throne, in the following particulars: —

1. Be often at the King's court, especially on his court-
days ; I mean attend his ordinances, especially on the Sab-
bath, which he has sanctified and consecrated for this end. —
Great men's vassals are obliged to attend them upon their
court-days; and is it not reasonable, that the subjects and
vassals of the King of kings should pay this respect to him ?
Psal. xcvi. 6—8: "Honour and majesty are before him:
strength and beauty are in his sanctuary. Give unto the
Lord, O ye kindreds of the people, give unto the Lord glory
and strength. Give unto the Lord the glory due unto his
name: bring an offering, and come into his courts." O hon-
our your King by keeping his courts: for "one day in his
courts is better than a thousand ; it is better to be a door-
keeper in his house, than to dwell in the tents of sin :" and
" those that be planted in the house of the Lord, shall flourish
in the courts of our God."

2. Let it not satisfy you to come to the court, unless you
get access to the throne, and see the King's face ; for it is
the presence of the King that makes his courts and taber-
nacles amiable. Absalom was not satisfied to be at Jerusalem,
unless he saw the king's face: so let it not satisfy you to
attend ordinances, unless vou get a visit from the God of or-
dinances. This was David's disposition, P>al. xxvii. 4 : "One
thing have I desired of the Lord, that will I seek after, that
I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to
behold the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in his temple."
And, if you have any acquaintance with the King, whose
name is gracvyus, it will bring a damp upon your spirits, when
you miss his presence in his courts; you will "go mourning
without the sun," crying, " O that I knew where I might find
him ! that I might come even to his seat !

3. When the King calls you to court, or to come near to
his throne, do not refuse his order. When, by his word, or
the motions of his Spirit, he says to thy soul, ** Seek ye my
face," let thy soul send back a ready answer, saying, "Thy
face, Lord, will I seek." When he says, "Come," let thy
soul return the answer, " Behold, I come unto thee, for thou
art the Lord my God." O he takes it ill when any reject
his call, as vou see in the case of the spouse, Cant. v. He

23*

270 ON" THE THRONE OF GRACE. [SER.

comes to her,'saying, " Open to me, my sister, my love, my
dove, my undefiled : for my head is filled with dew, and my
locks with the drops of the night." But she indulged carnal
sloth, saying, " I have washed my feet, how shall I defile
them ?" which provoked him to withdraw, till she is brought
to regret her folly.

4. Beware of every thing that has a tendency to degrade
you, or to make the King cast down his countenance upon
you ; for although he " hates putting away," yet you may
provoke him to cover his face, and to turn to you the back
of his throne : yea, you may provoke him to carry towards
you in such a way, that the very remembrance of him will
be a trouble to you. Sometimes his own dearest favourites
have so grieved his Spirit, that he has carried the quarrel to
the gates of hell against them ; as we see in the case of Da-
vid, " Thine arrows stick fast in me," says he, " and thy
hand presseth me sore : this grief I have, because of my sin."
You may by untenderness bring yourself to that pass, as to be
made to cry, " The arrows of the Almighty are within me,
the poison whereof drinketh up my spirit. Thou hast laid
me in the lowest pit, in darkness, in the deeps." And there-
fore beware of every thing that may be offensive to your
King. Beware of pride, for " he beholds the proud afar off;"
he thrusts the proud away from him, when they venture to
come near his throne. Beware of unbelief, for that is what
he cannot endure. How unsuitable is it for his subjects and
children to call him a liar ! This is a sin which turns you
away from the Lord, and turns him away from you. Do not
entertain jealousies of his kindness, after he has given the to-
kens of it to your souls; for it is a grieving of the Spirit of
God to have his love-tokens called in question. Beware of
untenderness : if there be not a close walking with God in the
way of holiness, you need not expect to have the King's coun-
tenance ; for " without holiness no man shall see the Lord :"
it is they that have clean hands, and a pure heart, that shall
stand in his holy hill, and have a place in his tabernacle.

5. Be very observant of the King's commandments. As
the acts of grace, of which I was speaking, are the measure
of faith, so the law of commandments is the measure of prac-
tice. Do not think that the court of grace, or the throne of
grace, gives any indulgence to a detestable licentiousness:
they are indeed carnal gospellers, and Antinomians with a
witness, who entertain such a notion. No ; the moral law of
the ten commandments is supported with the authority of the
King, whose name is gracious and merciful. As the law,
considered as a covenant of works, issues from a throne of
justice ; so the same law, considered as a rule of obedience, is

X.] ON THE THRONE OF GRACE. 271

issued forth from a throne of grace, as is plain from the pre-
face of the ten commandments, " I am the Lord thy God ;"
that is, I am unto thee a God of grace in Christ, a saving and
a redeeming God : " therefore thou shalt keep all my com-
mandments." O sirs, the law, even as a rule of duty, is sup-
ported with the best authority in heaven or earth ; and " the
grace of God," issuing from this throne, " teaches us to deny
all ungodliness and worldly lusts." Mic. vi. 8 : "He hath
showed thee, O man, what is good ; and what doth the Lord
require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to
walk humbly with thy God V

6. Keep company with the loyal subjects of the King, and
beware of associating yourselves, or saying, "A confederacy "
with rebels against the King's crown or government. " My
delight," says David, " is with the saints, the excellent ones of
the earth." But as for those who live in rebellion against
the Lord, their company was a burden to him : " Wo is me,
that I sojourn in Mesech, that I dwell in the tents of Kedar.
My soul hath long dwelt with him that hateth peace."

7. Be sure to pay the tribute that is due to this throne ; do
not withdraw from it its revenues. -The King has imposed a
tax of praise to be levied upon all his subjects; and " he
who oflereth praise, glorifieth" him. O praise is comely for
the upright." " This people have I formed for myself, that
they may show forth my praise." Do not withhold this
revenue, but let the high praises of a God of grace be con-
tinually in your mouth. And, to engage us to a cheerful
payment of this tribute of praise, let us always remember the
glorious liberties and privileges which we enjoy under the
auspicious government and administration of grace ; which
are so great and many, that " eye hath not seen, nor ear
heard, neither hath it entered into the heart of man to con-
ceive ;" which made the psalmist David to express himself,
as we have it, Psal. xl. 5 : " Many, O Lord, my God, are thy
wonderful works which thou hast done, and thy thoughts
which are to ils-ward : they cannot be reckoned up in order
unto thee : if I would declare and speak of them, they are
more than can be numbered."

8. Lastly, Contend for the royalties and prerogatives of
this throne, which are many ways invaded at this day. At-
tempts are made to rob the King of his equality with the
Father, while they would strip him of his independence and
self-existence. Others invade his government, by appointing
ceremonies in his worship, which were never ordained in his
word : others, by wresting the rights of his subjects from them,
particularly in the free choice and election of their pastors :
others, by tolerating doctrines inconsistent with the eternal

272 THE ASSURANCE OF FAITH, [SER.

truths of his word. Now, I say, it is incumbent on all the
loyal subjects of this King, to contend for the dignities of the
crown, and the liberties of his kingdom, against all that do
invade the same; following the exhortation of the apostle, Gal.
v. 1 : Let us "stand fast in the liberty wherewith Christ hath
made us free," that we " be not entangled again with any yoke
pf bondage."

8ERMOIV XI.

THE ASSURANCE OF FAITH, OPENED AND APPLIED.

[being the scbstance of several discourses on heb. X. 22.]

Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood
of Jesus, by a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us,
through the veil, that is to say, his flesh ; and having a high priest over
the house of God ; let us draw near with a true heart, is full assurance
of faith, &c. — Heb. x 19 — 22.

CHAPTER I.

Containing an Introduction to the main Purpose, with the Method of
the following Discourse.

These verses contain the apostle's transition from the doc-
trinal to the practical part of the epistle. Having at great
length discoursed upon the priestly office of Christ, in the
foregoing part of the epistle, he sums up, in a few words, the
scope and substance of all'he had been saying, ver. 19 — 21,
and then deduces a very natural inference from the whole,
ver. 22 : Let us draw near with a true heart, in full assurance
of faith. Like a wise builder, he first digs till he comes to
the foundation, and then calls himself and others to build
upon it with confidence.

That we may have the more distinct view of the words, it
is expedient that we observe in general, the apostle here very
elegantly expresses New Testament privileges, in an Old
Testament style and dialect. The highest privilege of fallen
man, is to have access to the presence of God, his offended
Lord and Sovereign : the only way of access is Christ, of
whom the temple of Solomon was an illustrious type. And,
with allusion to that typical temple, Christ is presented to our
faith under a threefold view, ver. 19 — 21.

XI.] OPENED AND APPLIED. 273

1. As a gate or door, by which we may enter into the holi-
est, and that with boldness, by virtue of his atoning blood, ver.
19. Under the Mosaic dispensation, Aaron alone, and not
the Israelites could enter into the holy of holies, and that but
once a year, with the blood of beasts sacrificed fur himself and
them. But now, under the New Testament, through the
death and satisfaction of the Son of God, the way of access
to friendship and fellowship with a holy God, both here and
hereafter, is made open and patent to every sinner, who by
faith comes in under the covert of the blood of Jesus. No
sooner had Adam sinned, but the door of access to the majes-
ty of God was bolted against him, and all his posterity ; the
cherubim with the flaming sword stood in his way. But
now the flaming sword of justice being quenched in the blood
of the Surety, the door of access is again wide opened. I
remember, the woman of Tekoah, 2 Sam. xiv. 14, in her pa-
rabolical address to David, on Absalom's behalf, makes
use of this argument with David, to persuade him to bring
home his exiled Son, " God," says she, " doth devise means,
that his banished be not expelled from him." This is re-
markably true in the case in hand : God, in his infinite wisdom,
has devised a way how his banished may be brought home
again to his presence ; and that is, through the blood and
satisfaction of Christ, John x. 9, John xiv. 6.

2. To encourage us in our approaches to God through
Christ, he is presented to us under the notion of " a new and
living way, consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say,
his flesh," ver. 20. The inner veil, that separated between
the holy place, and the holiest of all, in the temple of Jerusa-
lem, was a type of that body of flesh assumed by the Son of
God, by which his Deity was veiled ; and through the break-
ing or rending of this by his death on the cross, the way to
God and glory becomes open and patent. And this is called
a " new way," either in opposition to Adam's way by a co-
venant of works, which is shut up ever since the fall of man ;
or because it never waxes old, but is ever fresh, green, and
fragrant, to the believing soul. And it is called a " living
way," because, though Christ was once dead, yet now he is
alive, and lives for evermore, to give life to every soul that
comes to God through him. And then, he is a way " conse-
crated for us ;" he is dedicated for the use of sinners in their
dealings with God : " For their sakes," says he, " do 1 sanc-
tify myself." And O what can be more encouraging to a
lost sinner, to make use of Christ by faith, than to know that
he is just devoted for this work of saving that which was lost!

3. Whereas the sinner might object, That though the door
be opened, and the new and living way consecrated ; yet he

274 THE ASSURANCE OF FAITH, [SER.

is either so ignorant, that he knows not this way ; or so im-
potent, that he cannot walk in it ; or so guilty, that he dares
not venture to go into the holiest: therefore, to obviate all
these, Christ is presented to us, " a great high priest over
the house of God," ver. 21. What noble encouragement is
here for believing ! Christ, as a High Priest, " is ordained for
men in things pertaining to God," Heb. v. 1. And seeing he
is ordained for men, may not men make use of his mediation
with confidence and boldness? Heb. iv. 14, 16. And then,
by his office, he is obliged to execute the duties of his office
toward every soul that employs him in it : he is obliged, as a
High Priest, to instruct the ignorant, to strengthen the weak,
to confirm the feeble, and " to make reconciliation for the
sins of the people." And, therefore, let us take courage to
employ and improve him, especially considering that he is
both " a merciful and faithful High Priest," Heb. ii. 17 ; and
also a " High Priest " who is " over the house of God ;" that
is, he has full power and authority from his eternal Father,
to negotiate our affairs, and to render both our persons and
performances acceptable to him. In a word, the whole ma-
nagement of the " offspring and issue," and of all the "vessels
of cups and flagons," is committed to him ; yea, " all the glory
of his Father's house hangs upon him, as upon a nail fastened
in a sure place," Is. xxii. 24. And, therefore, " seeing we
having a High Priest," of such authority and interest, " let
us come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain
mercy, and find grace to help in time of need," Heb. iv. 14,
16. Whenever we have any business with God, whenever
we would enter into the secret of his presence, or enjoy fel-
lowship with him, let us go in at the back of our great High
Priest, who has led the way before us, and is appearing in
the presence of God for us.

Now, I say, the apostle having thus presented Christ under
the most encouraging views, as the object of our faith, trust,
and confidence in our dealings with the majesty of God,
proceeds to recommend and inculcate a correspondent duty
in the words of my text, ver. 22. Let us draw near with a
true heart, in full assurance of faith, having our hearts
sprinkled, SfC.

Before we proceed to the more particular consideration of
the words, it is very much worthy of our notice, to observe
the apostle's order and method of doctrine, and how he knits
the believer's privilege and duty together. He would have
the privilege first believed, and then the duty performed : he
would have us first believe, that " the door of the holiest is
opened by the blood of Jesus," that there is " a new and living
way consecrated for us," that " we have a High Priest over

XI.J OPENED AND APPLIED. 275

the house of God," ready to introduce us into his presence ;
and, upon these grounds of faith, he presses and inculcates the
duty, "Let us draw near," &c. It is pleasant hence to ob-
serve, how the method and order of the covenant of works
is just inverted in the covenant of grace. In the covenant
of works, duty was the foundation of our privilege; man was
first to perform duty, and upon his doing of that, might ex-
pect the privilege in a way of pactional debt. But now, I
say, the very reverse of this is God's order and method in
the covenant of grace ; for here we are first to believe the
privilege, or to receive it as a grant of sovereign grace, and
upon that ground we are to go on to duty. This is a thing
that needs to be adverted to with the utmost attention, in re-
gard the very bent of nature runs in the way of the cove-
nant of works, namely, to expect the privilege on the score
of duty ; and to fancy that God is a debtor to us, when we
have done this and the other duty required in the law : where-
as the stream of nature runs quite cross to the order and me-
thod laid in the covenant of grace, namely, first to receive the
privilege in a way of grace, like beggars receiving God's
alms ; and then to perform duty, as a testimony of gratitude
for the privilege received, without expecting any thing from
the Lord upon the account of duty done by us. This is what
proud nature spurns against with the utmost reluctance.
What ! To take all freely, " without money, and without
price," and to reckon ourselves unprofitable servants when
we have done all, is what depraved nature cannot yield to,
till the heart be new-moulded by sovereign and efficacious
grace. "Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams,
or with ten thousands of rivers of oil?" &c. "Wherefore
have we fasted," and prayed, " and thou takest no know-
ledge 1 " is expressive of our natural way of thinking. But
though this way lie cross to nature, yet this is the. way in
which God will have sinners saved, or else they shall never
share in his salvation : he will have them to receive eternal
life begun here, and consummated hereafter, as " the gift of
God through Jesus Christ our Lord," without regard to any
of our doings as a foundation of our claim or title to it.
Boasting must be for ever excluded, that the glory of our
salvation may redound wholly to grace, which " reigns
through " imputed " righteousness unto eternal life, by Jesus
Christ our Lord." And therefore, I say, study to rivet upon
your minds the order and method laid by God in the covenant
of grace, where privilege received by faith is made the foun-
dation of duty, and not duty the foundation of our claim to
the privilege. This is the scheme or order laid in our Lesser
Catechism, by the Westminister Assembly ; where, in an-

276 THE ASSURANCE OF FAITH, [SER.

swer to the 3d question, we are told, that ' the scriptures
principally teach,' first, ' what man is to believe concerning
God, and' then, 'what duty God requires of man.' And,
according to this order, we have, first, the objects of faith,
and privileges of believers explained ; and then, the duties
of the moral law inculcated upon that ground. And if this
order of doctrine be inverted, we destroy the covenant of
grace, and return to a covenant of works. So much for the
connexion.

I proceed to the words themselves: where we may notice,
1. The grand duty the apostle urges upon the foregoing
grounds ; Let us draw near. 2. He gives particular directions
how we are to manage in our approaches to God, through
the new and living way ; namely : With a true heart, in full
assurance of faith, &c.

As for the first, namely ; the general duty that is pressed,
Let us draw near. The apostle does not tell us expressly,
whither, or to whom, we are to draw near; but it is plain
from the whole drift of the text and context, that he invites
us to draw near to God: not to God absolutely considered,
for thus he is inaccessible by guilty sinners; but to "God in
Christ, reconciling the world unto himself." This is that throne
of grace to which he had invited us to " come with boldness,
that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of
need," chap. iv. 16. The Greek word is the very same both
there and here.

It is worthy of consideration, in the manner of the apostle's
exhortation, that, when he is calling others to draw near,
he comprehends himself; it is not, Do ye draw near, but, Let
us draw near. Ministers of the gospel, when dispensing the
truths of God, must preach home to their own souls, as well
as to others. Sirs, we do not deliver truths or doctrines to
you, in, which we ourselves have no manner of concern ; no,
our own souls are at the stake, and shall either perish or be
saved eternally, as we receive or reject these precious truths
which we deliver to you. And truly, it can never be ex-
pected, that we will apply the truths of God with any warmth
or liveliness to others, unless we first make a warm applica-
tion of them to our own souls: and if we do not feed upon
these doctrines, and practise these duties, which we deliver
to and inculcate upon you, though we preach to others, we
ourselves are but " cast-aways."

The exhortation, Dra.w near, supposes our natural distance
and estrangement from God: "All we, like sheep, have gone
astray," says the prophet Isaiah, chap. liii. 6. When Christ
would describe our apostate and lapsed state, he does it un-
der the notion of a " prodigal going into a far country," Luke

XI.] OPENED AND APPLIED. 277

xv. There are three things we all lost and forfeited in the
first Adam, namely, the image of God, the favour of God, and
fellowship zvith God: yes, so much have we lost them, that the
apostle plainly tells us, that we are alienated from the very
life of God in our natural state. This God intimated to Adam
immediately after the fall, in that question he propounded to
him, when hiding himself from his presence among the thick-
ets of Paradise, "Adam, where art thou ?" Gen. iii. 9. JVon
es ubi prius eras, as Austin, one of the ancient fathers, para-
phrases it; 'Thou art not where thou wast before.' What is
become of the late friendship and fellowship that was betwixt
me and thee ? Of a Son of God, thou art become a child of
the devil; of an ally of Heaven, turned a confederate of hell.
Thus, the breach and rupture is wide like the sea. Can ever
parties betwixt whom there is such a natural and moral dis-
tance be brought together again? Yes; the apostle's exhor-
tation to draw near plainly bears, that the offended and af-
fronted Majesty of Heaven is accessible " by the blood of Je-
sus, by the new and living way." It was the great plot of
Heaven from eternity, to bring fallen man back again into
fellowship with his Maker. Infinite wisdom, animated by in-
finite bowels of mercy, has found the way, and the way is
Christ, John xiv. 6. The main intent of his incarnation, and
of the whole of his mediatory work, was to " bring us to God,"
1 Pet. iii. 18. To bring strangers and enemies to amity and
unity, is a great and mighty work ; yet this work he accom-
plishes and brings about by the ransom he has paid for us,
and by the operation of his Spirit in us.

This drawing near to God does not consist in any approach
to the essence of God ; for, essentially considered, " he is not
far from every one of us : in him we live, and move, and have
our being." Neither does it lie in an external or bodily attend-
ance upon him in the duties of his worship, " Bodily exercise
profitcth little:" many draw near to God with their mouths
and lips, while their hearts are far removed from him. Nei-
ther does it consist in a moral seriousness ; though, alas ! it is
much to bring some people even that length. People may
be morally serious about eternal concerns, in a legal way, like
the Pharisee, who came to Christ, saying, " Good Master, what
shall I do to inherit eternal life?" Yes, Heathens, and Ma-
hometans, and Jews, may be morally serious in their own way,
but they cannot be said to draw nigh to God. What is it,
then, you ask, to draw near to God? I answer, It is an act
of the heart or mind, by which the soul, under the influence
of the Spirit, sweetly and irresistibly returns to a God in Christ
as its only centre of rest. The poor soul, having tried Adam's
way of access, and finding that door bolted by the law, justice,
vol. i. 24

278 THE ASSURANCE OF FAITH, [SEK.

and holiness of God, despairs of ever entering by it. At length
the man, when he has " wearied himself in the greatness of
his way," finding the door of the holiest opened by the blood
of Jesus, the new and living way being discovered to him in
the light of the word and Spirit, he cries out, at the sight of
it, This is the gate of God, by this door will I enter into his
presence ; yea, " this is my rest, here will I dwell, for I desire
and like it well." O what a sweet acquiescence of soul is
there in God's device of salvation through Christ ! The man
cannot but applaud and approve of it, as a device every way
worthy of infinite wisdom, crying out, with the apostle, " It is
a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ
Jesus came into the world to save sinners." This, ordinarily,
is the soul's exercise, both in its first and after approaches to
God, in any duty of worship. There is a constant improve-
ment of the merit and mediation of Christ in every address
the man makes to the Majesty of Heaven ; he, as it were,
fixes himself in the clefts of the Rock of ages; he gets into
the "secret places" of that blessed stair, by which we ascend
to heaven ; and then he shows his countenance, and lifts up
his voice, in drawing near to God, by the new and living way.
We, as it were, take up the propitiation which God has set
forth, in the hand of faith, hold it up to God, saying, " Behold
the blood of the covenant : Behold, O God, our shield, and
look upon the face of thine anointed." We go quite out of
ourselves, when we draw near to the holiest by the blood of
Jesus; we overlook our own duties, graces, frames, attain-
ments, grounding our hope of access and success only upon
the merit and moyen of our great high priest, God having
" made us accepted in the Beloved." And, in this view of
things, the soul will readily express itself, as David did in the
like case, saying, "I will go unto the altar of God, unto God,
my exceeding joy." And if God hide his face, the soul will
wait, and bode good at his hand, saying, " Hope in God, for I
shall yet praise him : He will command his loving kindness in
the day-time, and in the night his song shall be with me." —
And if the Lord smile, and grant an answer of peace, he will
not ascribe his success to his own faith, frame, or fervency,
but to Christ alone, saying, " Not unto us, O Lord, not unto
us, but unto thy name be the glory." Thus much for the
main duty, of drarvi?ig near.

The apostle next proceeds to direct as to the manner of
our approach. And,

First, He directs us to draw near zcith a true heart. This
is " a word fitly spoken." If he had required us to draw near
with a heart perfectly clean and pure, he might as well have
bidden us fly without wings ; but he bids us draw near with

XI.] OPENED AND APPLIED. 279

a true heart ; that is, with a heart truly concerned about ac-
ceptance with God, a heart truly approving of, and acqui-
escing in the new and living way. In short, a true heart here,
is opposed to a double, doubting, distrusting, and hypocritical
heart. All dissimulation is to be avoided in our dealings
with him, who " trieth the hearts and reins, and whose eyes
are as a flame of fire, searching Jerusalem as with candles."
Psal. li. 6 : " Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts."
Whereas the hypocrite, who " draws near with his mouth,
and honours God with his lips, while his heart is far" removed
from him, shall not stand in his presence. Take care then
that your hearts be honestly minded toward God when you
draw nigh to him. But I pass this also, and go on to that
which I have principally in view; namely,

The second direction or advice the apostle gives, in order to
our successful approach to God by the new and living way,
and that is, to draw near in full assurance of faith. The
original word signifies to be fully persuaded, or assured of a
thing ; and is opposed to wavering, doubting, and uncertainly.
The apostle, having laid a firm foundation of access in the
preceding verses, bids us trust to it, and rest upon it, with an
unshaken confidence, and certain persuasion of success. What
is farther necessary by way of explication, will occur in the
prosecution of the following doctrine : —

Doct. " It is the will of God, that they who approach to
him in Christ, should draw near in full assurance of faith, or
with a certain persuasion, and confident expectation of suc-
cess and acceptance."

The foundation of this doctrine is obvious. It is plain, the
apostle here is not speaking of that assurance of grace and
salvation which follows upon believing, and is the result of the
soul's reflection upon the operations of the Holy Spirit with-
in ; but of an assurance lying in the very direct act of faith :
for the apostle's scope here is, not to give the marks and evi-
dences, but to present the object of faith, namely : Christ as
the door and way to the holiest, and as a high priest ready to
introduce us; and upon this, he exhorts to a correspondent
act of believing, in drawing near to God, namely, with full
assurance of faith.

In discoursing on this doctrine, I shall, through divine assist-
ance, endeavour to speak,

I. Of faith in general.

II. Of the assurance of faith.

III. Of the full assurance of faith.

IV. Of the grounds that faith builds its assurance upon, in
drawing near to God.

V. Apply the whole.

280 THE ASSURANCE OF FAITH, [SER.

CHAPTER II.

Of faith in general.

Before I go on to discourse on these heads, I shall only
premise, that the practical and experimental understanding
of this subject, is a matter of the highest importance and con-
cern, in regard, as the apostle tells us expressly, Heb. xi. G,
" Without faith it is impossible to please God." Without some
degree of faith, we can never make a successful approach to
a throne of grace. What was said of the Israelites with re-
gard to the earthly Canaan, that " they could not enter in
because of unbelief," the same may be said of the greatest
part of professors under the gospel ; they cannot enter into the
holiest of fellowship with God here, or of immediate enjoy-
ment hereafter, because of unbelief. And therefore, I say, the
right understanding and uptaking of this subject must be of
the greatest concern to them, who have any solicitude re-
specting their acceptance with God. This premised, I pro-
ceed to,

I. The first thing proposed in the method, which was, to
discourse a little on faith in general. I shall not stand upon
the different kinds of faith that are commonly mentioned, such
as, an historical, miraculous, and temporary faith, which may
be found in reprobates and temporary believers : our inquiry
at present is particularly concerning the faith of God's elect,
which is well described in our Shorter Catechism, thus :

' Faith in Jesus Christ is a saving grace, whereby we re-
ceive and rest upon him alone, for salvation, as he is offered
to us in the gospel.'

For clearing of which description, I offer the few following
considerations : —

1. That faith is a saving grace. And it is so designated,
because it is " the free gift of God," Eph. ii. 8. It is not the
product of free-will ; such a flower never sprung out of the
soil of depraved nature ; no, it is one of the prime operations
of the Spirit, in effectual calling, upon the souls of God's
elect. It is not bestowed upon any upon the account of good
dispositions or qualifications antecedent to itself; faith is the
first grace, or the first act of spiritual life, and, as it were, the
parent of the other graces, because it roots and ingrafts the
soul in Christ, of whom alone our fruit is found. Before the
implantation of faith, nothing but atheism, enmity, ignorance,
and unbelief, overspreads the face of the soul, " being aliena-
ted from the very life of God, through the ignorance that is
in us." And, therefore, faith must needs be a grace, or free
gift of God, bestowed without any antecedent merit, good

Xt.] OPENED AND APPLIED. 281

disposition, or qualification in us. Faith is a saving grace;
because, wherever true faith is, there salvation is already be-
gun, and shall certainly be consummated in due time. There
is an inseparable connexion slated, by the ordination of Hea-
ven, between faith and salvation: John iii. 16: "God so
loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that
whosoever believcth in him, should not perish, but have ever-
lasting life," Mark xvi. 16: "He that believeth, shall be
saved." When we preach the everlasting gospel, making
offer of Christ and his salvation to every creature, we are at
the same time to declare, that whosoever he be that gives
faith's entertainment to this gospel of the grace of God,
shall be saved. So that this promise, establishing the con-
nexion between faith and salvation, is as extensive as the of-
fer of the gospel, and is not made to believers exclusively of
others. It is certainly true of every son of Adam, lying within
the joyful sound of a Saviour, that if he believe, he shall be
saved. And this we are allowed to declare in the name of
God, as an encouragement to every sinner to receive and en-
tertain our message.

2. I remark from this description of faith, that it has
Christ for its main and principal object ; for it is a faith in
Jesus Christ. There is such a suitableness betwixt Christ and
faith, that they cannot be separated. Take away Christ from
faith, then faith is but a cipher, and stands for nothing; no-
thing can fill the eye or hand of faith, but Christ only, Christ
is the bread of life, faith is the mouth of the soul that eats and
feeds upon him : Christ is the mystical brazen serpent, faith
the eye of the soul that looks to him for healing: Christ is the
strong hold cast open to the prisoners of hope, faith the foot of
the soul that runs in to him for shelter: Christ is our living
altar, his satisfaction and intercession like the two horns of
the altar, and faith fees in thither for safety from the law and
justice of God, which pursue the sinner for his life: Christ is
the bridegroom, and faith, like the bride, takes him by the
hand, saying, Even so I lake him. In a word, faith slights
and overlooks every thing else to be at Christ, saying with
David, Psal. Ixxiii. 25, " Whom have 1 in heaven but thee?
and there is none upon earth that I desire beside thee ;" and,
with Paul, " I desire to know nothing but Jesus Christ, and
him crucified. Yea, doubtless, I count all things but loss, for
the excellency of the knowledge of Jesus Christ my Lord."

3. I remark, that faith is here described to be a receiving
of Christ, according to what we have, John i. 12 : " But as
many as received him, to them gave he pow'er to become the
sons of God," &c. For understanding this, you should know,
that Christ, the ever-blessed object of faith, is presented to us

24*

282 THE ASSURANCE OF FAITH, [SER-

in the gospel under a great many different views and aspects,
in a correspondence to which faith receives its denomina-
tion. For instance, Is Christ presented under the notion of
meat to the hungry soul 1 then faith is expressed by eating.
Is Christ held out under the notion of living zvaters ? then faith
is called a drinking. Is he held out as a refuge ? then faith
is called a fleeing to him, Heb. vi. 18. Is he held out as a
garment to the naked ? then faith is a putting him on for
clothing. Thus, I say, according to the aspect in which
Christ is presented, faith receives its name ; as the sea re-
ceives its names according to the different countries or shores
it washes. Just so here, when Christ is presented under the
notion of a gift, then faith is called a receiving him ; for giving
and receiving are correlates, as you see, John iii. 27 : "A
man can receive," (or as in the margin, take unto himself)
" nothing, except it be given him from heaven."* Receiving,
or taking of a thing, is but stealth or robbery, where it is not
warranted by an antecedent giving or granting: so our re-
ceiving Christ would be but presumption, and a vicious in-
tromission, if he were not given of God to be received. And
this giving of Christ in the revelation and offer of the gospel,
is common to all, and warrants all to receive him. John vi.
32. Christ says to a promiscuous multitude, the far greater
part of whom were unbelievers, as is evident from Christ's
character of them, " My Father," (says he,) "giveth you the
true bread from heaven," meaning himself. We read, Psal.
cxv. 16, that " God hath given the earth to the sons of men;"
that is, he made a grant of it to them, to be used and possessed
by them; and by virtue of this deed of gift or grant, before
the earth came to be fully peopled, or stocked with inhabit-
ants, it was lawful for a man to take possession of it, and use
it as his own. Just so here, God has so loved the world of
lost mankind, that he has given Jus only begotte?i Son, that who-
soever of lost mankind believeth in him, or receives him, should
not perish, but have everlasting life, John iii. 16. This will not
infer a imiversal redemption : for I do not now speak of the
purchase or application of redemption, which, without all
doubt, is peculiar to the elect: but of that giving of Christ in
the world, which warrants our receiving of him. And this,
past all perad venture, is common to the whole visible church,
yea, to all to whom the revelation of Christ comes ; for if there
were not such a giving of Christ as warrants all to receive
him, the unbelieving world could not in justice be condemned
for rejecting him. Q then let mount Zion rejoice and let the
daughters of Judah, (I mean the visible church,) be glad, and

* When Christ is received by us, he must be tendered, given, granted,
or communicated unto us. Owen on the Glory of Christ, p. 1 23.

XI.] OPENED AND APPLIED. 283

receive it as a faithful saying and zvorthy of all acceptation,
that " unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given, whose
name is called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The
everlasting Father, the Prince of peace :" for these are " good
tidings of great joy to all people," Is. ix. 6, Luke ii. 10. Re-
ceive this Saviour who is given to you ; and receive him with
gratitude and praise, warbling out that doxology with heart
and lip, " Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift."
And if you do not, remember I tell you, you will follow af-
ter lying vanities, and slight your own mercy.

4. Upon this description of faith, I remark, that faith is
called not only a receiving, but a resting upon Christ : Psal.
xxxvii. 7: "Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him."
We are not, in my opinion, to think, that receiving is one
act of faith, and resting another act of it ; they are only dif-
ferent expressions of the same applicatory, justifying faith,
or (as some will have it) the rest of faith is a continuation
of the reception. There are a great many denominations of
faith, of the same divine authority with these two mentioned
in the answer of the Catechism, such as, eating, drinking,
fleeing, entering, coming, trusting, &c. But these are not
different acts, but only different expressions of the saving act
of faith, making use of, or applying Christ in a suitableness
to the view in which he is presented in the word of God.
Now, as to this expression of resting, it leads us to conceive
of Christ as a rock or a strong foundation, upon which we
may, and still ought to lay the weight of our everlasting con-
cerns, with the greatest confidence. When we lay our weight
upon a rock, we are not afraid that the rock will sink or fail
underneath us; so, in believing, the poor, weary, burdened soul,
finding itself unable to stand upon its own legs, leans and rests
upon this Rock of ages, being confident that this Rock will
not fail. Or, the expression of resting may allude to a man's
resting upon a charter for an estate, a bond or bill for a sum
of money ; he rests upon it as good and sufficient security : so
the soul, in believing, rests upon the fidelity and veracity of
a God in Christ, pawned in the covenant of grace, and the
promises thereof. He looks upon (he fulness of grace and
truth, of merit and spirit treasured up in Christ, as they are
laid out in the word of faith, saying, with David, " This is all
my salvation, and all my desire." On which account, faith,
Heb. xi. 1, is called " the substance of things hoped for ;" be-
cause it rejoices in the promise, as though it had the thing
promised. This resting is equivalent to trusting, as is evident
from all these scriptures cited in the Catechism upon this
head. I shall notice farther, before 1 leave this point, that
both these expressions of receiving and resting, by which faith
is here described, do, in the very nature of the thing intended,

284 THE ASSURANCE OF FATTH, [SER.

carry an application and appropriation in them : for when I
receive a gift, I take it as my own property ; and when I rest
upon a charter or bond, I rest on it as my security: and if
this he not allowed, the relieving and supporting nature of
faith is in a great measure lost; without it we could never be
" filled with joy and peace in believing." I shall only add,
that both these expressions, pointing out the nature of faith,
so describe it, as to put it out of the rank or category of works ;
for when a poor man receives his alms, or when a weary man
rests himself, he cannot in any propriety of speech be said to
work. God will have man saved, under the new covenant,
by such a mean instrument, that so works and boasting may
be for ever excluded, and grace alone for ever exalted.

5. I remark, that faith receives Christ, and rests upon him
alone. The poor soul, before the saving revelation of Christ,
was grasping at empty shadows, trusting in lying refuges;
and, like the men of the old world, when the waters of the
deluge were upon the increase, was running to this and the
other mountain, where he might be safe from the swelling
deluge of God's wrath ; but finding the waters to overflow
his hiding-places, he quits them, and flees to the Rock of ages,
saying, " In vain is salvation hoped for from the hills, and
from the multitude of mountains : in the Lord only is the sal-
vation of his people. — There is none other name under heaven
given among men whereby to be saved, but the name of Je-
sus." Every man by nature being married to the law in Adam,
is attempting to climb up to heaven upon the broken ladder
of the covenant of works, and to pass the deluge of God's
wrath by the fallen bridge of the law. But as sure as the
Lord lives, your attempts this way will fail you ; for " by the
works of the law, no flesh living shall be justified." God has
established a bridge of communication between heaven and
earth, by the obedience, death, and intercession of his eternal
Son ; and every other passage to heaven but this, is stopped
by the justice and holiness of God. John xiv. 6, says Christ
there, " I am the way, and the truth, and the life : no man
cometh unto the Father, but by me."

6. Faith receives Christ, and rests upon him alone for sal-
vation. This points at the end the sinner has before him, in
his first closing with Christ; he flees to him for salvation;
Acts xv. 11 : " We believe, that, through the grace of the
Lord Jesus Christ, we shall be saved." By salvation here,
we are not simply to understand an eternity of happiness in
the enjoyment of God after time, but a salvation begun in
this present life ; salvation from the beginning of it in rege-
neration, till it be consummated in glory. The soul, in be-
lieving, rests upon Christ for pardon, which is salvation from
the guilt of sin, and the condemnatory sentence of the law :

XI.] OPENED AND APPLIED. 285

it rests on him for sanctification, which is a salvation from the
filth and power of sin; for glorification, which is a salvation
from the very in-being of sin. Alas ! the greatest part of the
visible church have no other notion of Christ, but only as a
Saviour to keep them out of hell, and to deliver them from
vindictive wrath. It is true, indeed, our Jesus saves from
" the wrath that is to come." But how does he that 1 He does
it by saving from sin in the first place : " His name," says the
angel, "shall be called Jesus ; for he shall save his people from
their sins." His first and great business was to condemn sin,
that arch-traitor, and first-born of the devil, Rom. viii. 3,
" to finish transgression, and make an end of sin." And
therefore it is a salvation from sin, in the guilt, and filth, and
power of it, for which faith receives Christ, and rests upon him.

7. I remark, that faith receives and rests upon Christ, "as
he is offered to us in the gospel. This offer of Christ, though
it be last named in this description of faith, yet it is the first
thing, in the order of nature, that faith believes : for unless
one believe that Christ is offered to him in particular, as the
gift of God, and as a foundation of hope and help, he will
never receive him, or rest on him for salvation. This is a
believing in order to believing ; a believing that Christ, and
salvation in him, is really offered, in order to his being ac-
cepted and received. And therefore be verily persuaded, that
Christ is yours in the offer, and " that God hath given to you
eternal life in his Son ;" for " this is the record of God," 1
John v. 11. And unless you believe this, you " make God a
liar, because you believe not the record that God hath given
of his Son," ver. 10. O sirs, believe it, that " unto you a
child is born, unto you a son is given, whose name is called
Wonderful," &c. ; and that God hath given him to a lost
world, in the gospel offer and revelation, that " whosoever
believeth in him, should not perish, but have everlasting life,"
John iii. 16.

Next, you may observe, that it is in the gospel that this of-
fer is made, and this gift of God is presented to you. What
is the gospel, but a word of grace, a word of promise, a word
of faith, a word of life and salvation 1 and " to you is the
word of this salvation sent." And in this word, Christ and
his everlasting righteousness, and all-sufficient fulness, is
brought near to you, in order to your receiving and applying
him to your own souls by faith. You need not climb up to
heaven, or dig into hell, in quest of a Saviour; for " the word
is nigh thee," and Christ in the word; "even the word
of faith which we preach," Rom. x. 6 — 9. As a sum of
money is brought nigh to a man in a bond that is offered him,
so is Christ brought nigh in the word of promise to us, Acts
ji, 39 : " The promise is unto you," &c. And without this

286 THE ASSURAPfCE OP FAITH, [SER.

word of grace and promise, believing were a thing impossi-
ble, because faith could never fasten on Christ, or on God in
him, without this word of faith. If I should bid you believe
that such a man will give you a sum of money, you would
think me ridiculous, unless he had given his word that he
would do it; your faith or trust could not fasten upon him
without his word or writ as the. immediate ground of it: so
here, our faith, trust, or confidence, could never find a founda-
tion without God's word of grace and promise; and in receiving
his word, you receive himself, and all the treasures of his grace
laid up in Christ, and laid out to your hand in the word.

Next, it is worthy of consideration in this branch of the
description, that faith's reception and application of Christ
must he regulated by, and bear a proportion to the offer that
is made of him in the gospel; for here we are told, that faith
is a receiving and resting upon him as he is offered, &c. This
qualifies our reception of Christ, and distinguishes the faith of
true believers, from that of hypocrites and formalists. And
therefore notice this as a thing of the last moment and con-
sequence, whether your faith comes up to the offer, and cor-
responds to it. I shall illustrate this in the four following
particulars.

1st, Christ is freely offered in the gospel : Is. lv. 1 : " Ho,
every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters; and he that
hath no money ; come ye, buy, and eat, yea, come, buy wine
and milk without money, and without price." Rev. xxii. 17:
" Whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely." So
faith receives and embraces him as the free gift of God. Be-
ware of thinking to buy the pearl with the money and price
of your works, duties, and good qualifications; as if by these
you were fitted for receiving Christ, or as if God made you
the more welcome ; on account of these, to receive his un-
speakable gift. No, no, remember that, in the matter of be-
lieving, you are to shake your hands from holding of such
bribes; for " the pearl of great price" cannot be bought in
such a way. It is true, believing is called a buying, Is. lv. 1 ;
Rev. iii. 18. But then let it be remembered what sort of a
buying it is, it is a buying without money, and without price.
God's price in the market of the gospel is just nothing : and
yet this is so great a matter with man, that the pride of his
heart will not allow him to tell it down. We cannot think
of coming up, I should rather say, cannot think of coming
down to God's price ; I mean, of taking Christ and salvation
in him and through him for nothing. Many say to God as
Abram said to the king of Sodom, Gen. xiv. 23 : "I will not
take any thing that is thine, from a thread even to a shoe-
latchet, lest thou shouldest say, I have made Abram rich."
Just so does the proud self-righteous sinner upon the matter

XI.] OPENED AND APPLIED. 287

say to God. God comes in a gospel-dispensation, saying,
'Come, sinners, I sec you are "wretched, miserable, poor,
blind, and naked :" you have nothing to give me as an equi-
valent for life, righteousness, and salvation ; and therefore I
seek no money or price from you, but make a free s^ift of my
Son, and his whole fulness, for nothing ; only take him as my
free gift, and he and all that comes along with him is your
own for ever.' ' No, says the pride of the heart, • " I am rich,
and increased with goods, I stand in need of nothing" at God's
hand : if God will give me life upon the terms of the first
covenant, as it was granted to Adam; or if (because I am
already a sinner, and incapable of yielding a perfect and sin-
less obedience) God will lower the terms of the covenant of
works, and grant me an interest in Christ and salvation for
my act of believing, or on the score of my honest aims and
good meanings, or sincere endeavours, I am well contented.'
But to take Christ and eternal life for nothing is what the
proud legal heart cannot stoop to. O what a cursed aver-
sion is there in the heart of man against his being a debtor
to grace, and grace only! To "buy without money, and
without price," is a mystery which the selfish heart of man
cannot comprehend. But, sirs, faith is a grace that comes to
get, and not to give : or if it give any tiling, it is the ills of
the soul ; but nothing of good does it pretend to give. The
sinner, in believing, upon the matter says, ' Lord, I give thee
my folly, and take thee for my only wisdom: I give thee my
guilt, that thou may est be the Lord my righteousness ; I give thee
my defilements, and take thee for sanctification ; I give thee
my chains and fellers, that I may be indebted to thee for redemp-
tion and liberty ; I give thee my poverty, and take thee for my
only riches; I give thee my wicked, wandering, hard, and de-
ceitful heart, that thou mayrst give me the new heart and new
spirit promised in thy covenant.' Thus, I say, Christ is freely
offered, and must be freely received.

2dly, Christ is offered wholly, an undivided Christ is offered,
and thus also he must be received. There are some who, in
their professed and pretended way of believing, do as it were
halve and divide Christ. Some so far receive him as a pro-
phet, that they submit to the teaching of his word, and thus
come to acquire a great deal of speculative knowledge in the
things of God ; but, being unacquainted with the teaching of
his Spirit, they never come to the knowledge of the truth
"as it h in Jesus." And hence it comes that they never flee
to him as a propitiation, or submit to bis authority as a King
and a Lawgiver: for the execution of the prophetical office,
paves the way for his reception both as a Priest and King.
Some, again, profess to receive Christ as a Priest, to save
them from hell and the curse; but, by cont'nuing in their

288 THE ASSURANCE OF FAITH, [SER.

ignorance under a gospel-revelation, and walking according
to the course of this world," and not according to the laws
of Christ, they evidently reject him, both as a Prophet and
King. Others, again, and I fear too many in our day, professedly
receive Christ as a King and Lawgiver, to the prejudice of
his priestly office, while they imagine, by their obedience
to his law, particularly the new gospel-law of faith and re-
pentance (as some call it,) to purchase a title to salvation:
by which means they either totally exclude the righteousness
of Christ, or mingle in their own acts of faith and repentance
with the righteousness of Christ, in the affair of acceptance
and justification before God : in both which cases, " Christ
can profit them nothing; they are fallen from grace," as the
apostle expressly declares, Gal. v. 2, 4. Thus, I say, many
pretended believers halve and divide the offices of Christ. But
is Christ divided? No; a whole, an entire and undivided
Christ must be received, or no Christ at all ; there is nothing
of Christ that a believing soul can want. It is true, indeed, the
first flight of a poor awakened soul, fleeing from the face of
the law and justice of God, is to Christ as a Priest; because
here, and here only, he finds relief and shelter under the
covert of everlasting righteousness. But at the same moment
in which he receives him as a Priest, for justification, he sub-
mits to his kingly authority, saying, as the men of Israel
did to Gideon, "Rule thou over us: — for thou hast delivered
us out of the hands of our enemies. O Lord our God, other
lords besides thee have had dominion over us ; but by thee
only will we now make mention of thy name."

'Sdly, Christ is offered particularly to every one of the
hearers of the gospel; and, accordingly, faith receives him
with particular application. The general call and offer reaches
every individual person ; and God speaks to every sinner as
particularly as though he named him by his name and sur-
name : " Remission of sin is preached to you ; w7e beseech you
to be reconciled; "the promise is unto you." And, for my
part, I do not know what sort of a gospel men make, who do
not admit this. Now I say, faith, which is the echo of the
gospel offer and call, must needs receive an offered Christ and
salvation, with particular application to the soul itself. For
a person to rest in a general persuasion that Christ is offered
to the church, or offered to the elect, or a persuasion of God's
ability and readiness to save all that come to Christ, is still
but a general faith, and what devils, reprobates, and hypo-
crites may have. Man, woman, Christ stands at thy door,
thou in particular, even thou, art called and commanded to
believe in the name of the Son of God. Here lies the great
pinch and strait of believing : the convinced and awakened
soul, through the policy of Satan, and the workings of a de-

XI.] OPENED AND APPLIED. 289

ceitful heart, thrusts away the word of grace and faith, as
not pertaining to it; till God, by the power of his Spirit, ir-
radiate the word, and irradiate the mind of the sinner; thus
letting the man see that to him the word of this salvation is
sent: and then he believes with particular application, not only
good-will to man upon earth, but good-will to me. Christ is
offered to me, and therefore I take him for my own Saviour;
the promise and covenant is directed to me, and therefore I
embrace it as my security. But, perhaps, more of this under
the second general head.

Athly, God is hearty and in good earnest, in his offers of
Christ, and his salvation. O sirs! do not think that a God of
truth dissembles with you, when he makes offer of his un-
speakable gift, or that he offers a thing to you which he has
no mind to give. He says, yea, he swears with the greatest
solemnity, by his very life, that he is in good earnest, and has
no pleasure in your death. And after this, to think that he
is not in earnest, what else is it, but to charge a God of truth
with lying and perjury 1 There cannot be a greater affront
offered to a man of common veracity. How criminal then
must it be to impute such a thing to him, for whom " it is im-
possible to lie," and who hates all fraud and dissimulation in
others " with a perfect hatred?" Thus, I say, God is in good
earnest in his offers of Christ ; so faith is hearty, and in good
earnest in receiving and applying him : " With the heart man
believeth unto righteousness." God's whole heart and his
whole soul is in the offer and promise of the gospel, Jer.
xxxii. 41 ; and is it not reasonable that we should give him
a meeting, by believing with the whole heart and soul 1 It is
not one faculty, but all the powers of the soul do jointly con-
cur in this business of believing; though, indeed, to speak ac-
curately, with the learned and judicious Dr. Owen, ' Faith is
in the understanding in respect of its being and subsistence,
in the will and heart, in respect of its effectual operation.'
This much shall serve for the first thing proposed, namely,
some account of the nature of faith in general.

CHAPTER III.

Of the Assurance of Faith.

II. The second thing in the method was to speak a little of
the assurance of faith. What I have to offer upon this head,
I shall endeavour to reduce under the five following proposi-
tions : —

Proposition 1, Is this, — That in this faith (which I have been
describing) there is a twofold certainty or assurance, namely,

vol. i. 25

290 THE ASSURANCE OF FAITH, [sER.

of assent and application. The former necessarily supposes as
assurance of understanding, or of knowledge, Col. ii. 2. The
apostle there speaks of the full assurance of 'understanding, which
every Christian ought to breathe after, and which every be-
liever has in a greater or less measure ; for it is only " they
that know his name that will put their trust in him," Psal. ix.
10. This assurance of understanding, as I take it, lies in an
uptaking of the reality and excellency of things divine and
supernatural : there is a beam of the glorious Sun of righte-
ousness darted in upon the man's soul, who before was " sitting
in darkness, and in the regions of the shadow of death ;"
by which he that was once darkness in the abstract, becomes
light in the Lord. He comes now to see things spiritual in
another light than formerly ; he enters, as it were, into a new
world of wonders, upon which account we are said to be
" called out of darkness into God's marvellous light." Per-
haps the man had, before this, some dreaming, floating, super-
ficial notions of these things ; he heard of them by the hearing
of the ear; but now his eyes see them : and he sees as great a
reality in things invisible and eternal, as though he saw them
with his bodily eyes. This is called by the apostle, Heb. xi.
1, "the evidence of things not seen." There is such a cer-
tainty here, as amounts to a demonstration ; so that you may
as soon persuade a man that it is midnight, when the midday
sun is shining upon him in full splendour, as persuade a man
in the lively exercise of faith, that there is not a reality and
excellency in things supernaturally revealed. This is so es-
sential to faith, that very commonly under the Old Testament,
and frequently also under the New, faith receives its denomi-
nation from it. Is. liii. 11; Jer. xxxi. 34; John xvii. 3.

But, to come a little more close to the purpose in hand, 1st,
There is, I say, in faith an assurance of assent, by which the
man assuredly believes whatever God has said in his word to
be true ; and that not upon the testimony of men, of ministers,
or angels, but upon the testimony and authority of the God
of truth, for whom it is impossible to lie, speaking in his own
word, and saying, Thus saith the Lord. But in a particular
manner the soul gives its assent to the truth of the gospel, and
the revelation of the word, concerning the person, natures,
oflices, undertakings, and performances of our Lord Jesus
Christ, as the Redeemer, Surety, and Saviour of lost sinners.
The man's understanding being enlightened with the know-
ledge of Christ, and having gotten a view of him by the Spirit
of wisdom and revelation, he finds it to be all true that God
has said of Christ in the word ; so that he cannot shun in this
case to join issue with the apostle, " This is indeed a faith-
ful saying, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sin-
ners," 1 Tim. i. 15. He sees the truth and veracity of God

XI.] OPENED AND APPLIED. 291

so much engaged in the covenant and promises thereof, that
they are more firm than the everlasting mountains and per-
petual hills, Is. liv. 10. Now, this certainty of assent is, in
scripture-dialect, called a " believing the report of the gospel,"
Is. liii. 1 ; a " receiving the record of God," 1 John v. 10, 11;
a " setting to the seal, that God is true," John iii. 33.

2dty, There is in faith an assurance of application, or appro-
priation, expressed frequently in scripture by resting, trusting
or confiding in the Lord, and the veracity of his word of
grace and promise. By this act of faith, the soul takes home
the promise, and embraces it as a good and sufficient security
to itself. It is said of the Old Testament worthies, Heb. xL
13, that they were " persuaded of the promises, and embraced
them." Their faith in the promise was a persuasion, or assent
with appropriation of it to their own souls, insomuch that
they looked upon the promise as their substance: and hence
is that which we have in the 1st verse of that chapter, Faith
is the substance of things hoped for. This applicatory act of
faith, wherein the very life, soul, and sweetness of faith lies,
is pleasantly expressed and illustrated in David. God had
made a promise to him of the crown and kingdom of Israel,
which bore up his spirits, when, through the rage and fury of
Saul, he was hunted like a partridge upon the mountains;
and viewing the promise, and the fidelity of the promiser, he
cries out, Psal. Ix. 6, " God hath spoken in his holiness, I
will rejoice:" and because I have the security of his promise
1 dare say it with confidence and assurance, " Gilead is mine,
and Manasseh is mine." In like manner, true faith appro-
priates the mercy of God in Christ to the soul itself in par-
ticular, upon the ground of the free and faithful promise of
God. I might here demonstrate, that the stream of our best
Protestant divines concur in their sentiments as to this mat-
ter: I shall only at present quote the definition of faith given
by the great and judicious Dr. Owen, in his Catechism, or
Principles of the Doctrine of Christ; where, having moved the
question, ' What is justifjnng faith I' His answer is, ' A gra-
cious resting on the free promises of God in Christ Jesus for
mercy, with a firm persuasion of heart, that God is a recon-
ciled Father to us in the Son of his love.' For proof of which
he cites, 1 Tim. i. 16: John xiii. 15: John xix. 25 : Rom. iv. 5:
Heb. iv. 16: Rom. viii. 38, 39: Gal. ii. 20: 2 Cor. v. 20, 21.
And on the margin he has these words : — ' Of this faith
the Holy Spirit is the efficient cause, the word the instru-
mental, the law indirectly, by discovering our misery, the
gospel immediately, by holding forth a Saviour. Faith,' adds
he, ' is in the understanding in respect of its being and subsist-
ence, in the will and heart in respect of its effectual working.'
According to this account of faith, the assurance I speak of,

292 THE ASSURANCE OF FAITH, [sER.

namely, a persuasion of the promise with appropriation (as the
judicious Calvin speaks,) can no more be separate from
faith, than light can be separate from the sun. It takes
home the grace and mercy of God to the soul in particular,
which before lay in common, in the offer of the gospel. And
without this particular application, the offer and promise of
the gospel can stand us in no stead ; but is like a price put in
the hand of a fool, who has no heart to it. Our meat set be-
fore us will never feed us, unless it be applied by eating it;
so " except we eat the flesh, and drink the blood of the Son
of man," by an applying faith, we have no life in us. What-
ever excellency there be in Gilead's balm, it will never re-
cover the hurt of the daughter of Zion, unless it be used by
faith. Faith answers and corresponds to the word of faith,
as the seal and the wax answer to one another, Zech. xiii. 9 :
" I will say, It is my people ; and they shall say, The Lord
is my God." Faith will not quit its my's, though all the
world should say against it. The marrow of the gospel (as
Luther observes) is in these pronouns, mkum, nostrum, my
and our. He bids us read these with great emphasis. Tolle
meum, and tolle Deum, says another, " Take away property,
and you take away God, take away Christ." It is the com-
mon dialect of faith in scripture, to vent itself in words of
appropriation; it has a peculiar pleasure and satisfaction in
these words, my and our, and rolls them in its mouth like a
sweet morsel. See how sweetly David harps upon this string,
Psal. xviii. 1, 2. No less than eight times in a breath does he
repeat his appropriating my; "My strength, my rock, my
fortress, my deliverer, my God, my strength, my buckler,
the horn of my salvation, and my high tower." Yes, so te-
nacious is faith in this matter, that it will maintain its my's
in the face of a hiding and frowning God: Psal. xxii. 1 :
" My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me ?" My is a
word of faith, says Flavel on the text. So Is. xlix. 14: " Zion
said, The Lord hath forsaken me, and my Lord hath forgotten
me." But I need not stand to offer more instances of this
kind, seeing, as one observes, faith in scripture expresses it-
self by these two words, my and our, no less than about three
hundred times.

Thus, you see what kind of assurance there is in faith,
namely, an assurance or certainty of assent and application.
The first may be found in a great measure, and in some sort,
in devils and reprobates : the last is of a distinguishing nature,
and peculiar only to the faith of God's elect, and of his ope-
ration ; though, indeed, some shadow of it also may be found
in the presumptuous faith of hypocrites ; of which we may
speak afterward. Knowledge and assent are preparatory to-
ward that application, in which the very soul of saving and
justifying faith lies. And when we speak of them one after

XI.] OPENED AND APPLIED. 293

another, it is not as if they were really separate in the soul's
exercise ; for I take them up as one complex undivided act
of the soul. In the very first view and relation of Christ by
the word and Spirit, the soul cannot shun to cry out with
Thomas, My Lore/, and my God. I do not mean that the soul
always, in the first moment of believing, runs that length, as
to express itself so with the mouth ; but I mean, this is what
faith would say, could it get up its head from under the load
of unbelief and indwelling corruption, with which it is over-
powered.

Proposition 2, I offer, is this, — That there is a great dif-
ference betwixt the assurance of faith, (which I have now
described,) and the assurance of sense, which follows upon
faith. The assurance of faith is a direct, but the assurance
of sense is a rejlex act of the soul. The assurance of faith
has its object and foundation from without, but that of sense
has them within. The object of the assurance of faith is a
Christ revealed, promised, and offered in the word ; the object
of the assurance of sense "is a Christ formed within its by the
Holy Spirit. The assurance of faith is the cause, that of
sense is the effect; the first is the root, and the other is the
fruit. The assurance of faith eyes the promise in its stability,
flowing from the veracity of the promises ; the assurance of
sense views the promise in its actual accomplishment. By
the assurance of faith, Abraham believed that he should
have a son in his old age, because God who cannot lie had
promised ; but by the assurance of sense, he believed it when
he got Isaac in his arms. By the first, Noah was sure that
he and his family should not perish in the waters of the
deluge; but by the last, he was assured of it, when the ark
rested upon the mountains of Ararat, and the waters were
withdrawn again into their proper channels. By the former,
the believing Israelites were assured, that Canaan should be
their possession, because God had made a grant and a deed
of gift of it to them in his promise ; by the latter they were
assured of it, when they passed Jordan, overthrew the old
inhabitants, and divided the good land by lot, as the inherit-
ance of the tribes of Israel. Time would fail me, to illus-
trate this matter by instances that stand upon record in the
sacred oracles. Faith asserts its interest in a future good,
because promised; sense asserts its interest in a present good,
because possessed. Faith says, Mi/ God will hear me; sense
gays, " My God hath heard me." Faith says, " He will bring
me forth to the light, and I shall behold his righteousness;"
sense says, " He hath brought me forth to the light, and I do
behold his righteousness." Again ; faith is conversant about
things that are not seen, and hoped for; sense is conversant
about things seen, and actually enjoyed, Faith says, " He is

35*

294 THE ASSURANCE OF FAITH, [SER.

my God, because he has said in the covenant, I will be their
God;" sense again says, " He is my God, because I hiorv my
soul has said unto the. Lord, He is my Lord." Faith assures
the soul of the remission of sins in the blood of the Lamb,
because God has said, " I will be merciful to their unright-
eousness, and their sins and their iniquities will 1 remember
no more ;" sense, again, assures the soul of remission, because
of the intimations of pardon in some sensible smiles of the
Lord's countenance, and some saving operations of his grace.
By faith I believe my salvation, because it is purchased, pro-
mised, and possessed by my glorious head Christ Jesus : but by
sense I believe my salvation, because I find this salvation
already begun in a work of regeneration, and advancing in a
work of sanctilication, " being confident of this very thing,
that he which hath begun the good work, will perform it
until the day of Jesus Christ."

Proposition 3. The assurance of faith will stand its ground,
when the assurance of sense is quite lost and gone. A clear
instance of this we have in Christ, when there was a total
eclipse of sensible manifestations, yea, nothing, but a lowering
cloud of vindictive wrath surrounding and breaking upon
him as our Surety ; yet, at that same time, the assurance of
faith maintains the claim, and repeats it, saying, My God, my
God; upon the ground not only of his eternal Sonship, but
of the promise the Father had made to him,Psal. lxxxix. 26:
"He shall cry unto me, Thou art my Father, my God, and
the rock of my salvation." And lest you should think this
was a thing peculiar to the Head, see an instance of it also
in the church, which is his body, Is. xlix. 14 : " Zion said, The
Lord hath forsaken me, and my I^ord hath forgotten me."
Upon which the holy Rutherford sweetly glosses to this pur-
pose : ' He may be a forgetting and withdrawing God to my
feeling ; and yet to my faith, my God, and my Lord : even as
the wife may believe the angry and forsaking husband is still
her husband.' Herman, Psal. ixxxviii. is so far deserted as to
sensible presence, that he is, as to his own feeling, " laid in
the lowest pit, in darkness, in the deeps," vcr. 6. He even
adds, ver. 7 : " Thy wrath lieth hard upon me ; and thou
hast afflicted me with all thy waves." And, ver. 15 — 17 :
" While I suffer thy terrors, I am distracted. Thy fierce
wrath goeth over me ; thy terrors have cut me off! They
came round about me daily like water, they compassed me
about together. How much lower could a child of God he
brought, on this side of hell? and yet faith, amidst all these
clouds, steps in, with its appropriating my, ver. 1 : " O Lord
God of my salvation." And, truly, if there were not some
exhilarating certainty in faith, acting upon the unalterable
covenant, in such cloudy and dismal dispensations, I know

XI.] OPENED AND APPLIED. 295

not what could keep the believer from running into utter
despair. But the grace of faith will venture the soul's safety
upon the strong plank of the promise, even when sensible
consolations are quite dashed to pieces, by the angry billows
of outward and inward trouble, like two seas, meeting upon
the believer. David had the experience of this, Psal. xxvii.
13 : "I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the good-
ness of the Lord in the land of the living." Hence also it is,
that the Lord directs his people to the exercise of faith in
such a case, Is. 1. 10: " Who is among you that feareth the
Lord, that obeyeth the voice of his servant, that walketh in
darkness, and hath no light 1 let him trust in the name of the
Lord, and stay upon his God."

Proposition 4. When we speak of the assurance of faith, it
is not to be so understood, as if every one that has faith were
perfectly free of doubting. This, I apprehend, is what scares
many at this doctrine of the assurance of faith. They think,
that if there be an assurance in the essence of faith, then it
would follow, that every true believer behooved always to
have such assurance as to be free of doubling; which is con-
trary to the experience of the generation of the righteous.
But this objection goes upon a palpable mistake, as if faith
and a believer were one and the same thing. We do indeed
assert, that there is no doubting in faith ; for faith and doubt-
ing are commonly in scripture directly opposed one to ano-
ther : but though there be no doubting in faith, yet there is
much doubting in the believer, by reason of prevailing un-
belief and indwelling sin. If it were true that assurance is
not of the nature of faith, because the believer is not always
assured ; by the same way of reasoning it would follow that
resting is not of the nature of faith, because the believer is not
always actually staying and resting himself on the Lord ; or
that trusting is not of the nature of faith, because the believer
is not always trusting. It may be as well argued, that seeing
is not of the nature of the eye, because sometimes tbe eye-
lids are closed ; or that heat is not of the nature of fire, be-
cause its heat is not perceptible by reason of the ashes with
which it is covered ; or that light is not of the nature of the
sun, because sometimes it is eclipsed by the interposing moon.
Remove the ashes, and the heat of the fire will appear ; re-
move interposing bodies, and the sun will have light ,• open
the eye-lids, and the eye will see : so do but remove igno-
rance, unbelief, and other incumbrances of corruption from
faith, and see what the nature of it is then. For it is of the
nature of faith in the abstract, that the present question is,
and not what lodges in the believer who hath faith. In the
believer there is, as it were, the company of two armies, grace
and corruption, love and enmity, repentance and impenitence,.

296 THE ASSURANCE OF FAITH, [SER.

faith and unbelief: but these are not to be confounded toge-
ther, because they are in the same subject. We must not
exclude complacency and delight in the Lord out of the nature
of love, because, through remaining enmity and corruption,
his love is so overpowered, that he cannot perceive any such
thing in him, but rather the reverse of love. The same may
be said of other graces. So here we must not conclude, that
there is nothing of this applicatory assurance in faith, because
of prevailing unbelief, and doubts flowing from it.

Propositio?i 5, is this, — That as there is a great difference
betwixt the my of faith, and the my of sense ; so there is yet
a far greater difference between the my of faith (or of true
sense flowing from it,) and the my of presumption. Presump-
tuous confidence has its my's, as well as faith and well-ground-
ed experience ; as we see plainly in the case of Balaam,
Numb. xxii. 18 : " If Balak would give me his house full of
silver and gold, I cannot go beyond the word of the Lord my
God." Now, say you, since a presumptuous confidence may
speak in the dialect of true faith and experience, in what lies
the difference 1 This is a very material and momentous ques-
tion ; and, with a dependence on " the Father of lights," I
shall attempt a solution of it in the few following particu-
lars : —

1st, The assurance of faith receives and applies Christ to
the soul in particular, as he lies in the revelation and grant
that is made of him to sinners in the word, which is the im-
mediate ground of faith ; whereas, presumptuous confidence,
though it claims an interest in him, yet does it not upon this
bottom, or in God's method and way of conveyance. The
apostle tells us, Horn. x. S, that Christ, and his righteousness
and salvation, are brought nigh unto us in the zvord of faith.
What is the design of the covenant of grace, and of these de-
clarations, offers, and promises of grace, that are made to us
in the glorious gospel, but just to bring Christ so near to us,
as we by believing may come to apply him and his whole
fulness to our own souls? John xx. 31 : "These things are
written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ the Son
of God, and that believing ye might have life through his
name." If we would find Christ, and eternal life in him,
we need not ascend into heaven,- or descend into hell, in search
for him, as the apostle speaks, Rom. x. 6, 7. But we are to
search for him in the "scriptures, for they are they which
testify of him." Christ is brought near to us in the testimony
or record of God in the word, where " he gives us eternal life,
in his Son Christ Jesus," 1 John v. 11. Now, faith, in its di-
rect act, 1 say, takes Christ, and claims him upon this grant
and gift that is made of him in the word of grace; and upon
no other foundation will jt adventure to assert its interest in

XI.] OPENED AND APPLIED. 297

him. Like an honest man, who will not intermeddle with
goods, money, or the estate of another, unless he have a char-
ter, bond, testament, promise, or some such security, upon
which he may do it warrantably, without vicious intromis-
sion : whereas the thief or robber puts to his hand, without
looking after any such warrant; if he gets what he has a
mind for any how, he is easy.* Here lies a fatal flaw in the
faith of many hearers of the gospel : they grasp at Christ and
his salvation, but they overleap the gift and grant of him in
the word, as the immediate foundation of their faith. If we
consult the experience of the saints in scripture, we shall find
their faith terminating immediately upon the word : " In his
word do I hope," says David. " Remember the word upon
w7hich thou hast caused me to hope. I rejoice at thy word,
as one that findeth great spoil." Their faith came by hear-
ing or reading the word. This is the chariot in which the
Lord rides, when he presents himself to us as the object of
our faith and trust : and therefore that faith which overlooks
the promise and offer of the gospel, is but a presumptuous faith.
" Gilead is mine, and Manasseh is mine," says David, in that
forecited lxth psalm, because " God hath spoken in his holi-
ness." So, says an applying faith, ' Pardon is mine, peace is
mine, grace is mine, glory is mine in Christ, yea, God him-
self is my God ; because God hath made over himself, and all_
these things in Christ to me, in the covenant of promise, or
testament of my elder Brother, sealed and confirmed by his
blood.' But, sa}^ you, may not a presumptuous hypocrite pre-
tend to found his faith upon the promise, and claim an inte-
rest in him, even upon that ground? An answer to this leads
me to a

2d Difference between the my of faith, and the my of pre-
sumptuous confidence, namely, this, That though the pre-
sumptuous person may run away with the promise, yet he
does not embrace the promise as it is in Jesus, or as Jesus is
in it. This is a mystery which only can be explained to pur-
pose by Him who "opcneth the book, and looses the seven
seals thereof." The view I have of it, you may take up as
follows. The covenant, and all the promises of it, are made
to Christ as the first heir, both by birth and purchase : he is
God's first-born, and therefore the heir of the inheritance ot
eternal life. But besides, as the second Adam, by his obedi-
ence and death, having fulfilled the law, and satisfied justice;
the promise of life, which was forfeited by the sin and disobe-
dience of the first Adam, comes to be settled upon him, and his
seed in him. Now, matters standing thus, the soul, in apply-
ing the promise, takes its title to it, not upon the ground of

* See Durham on Is. liii. sermon 5, last paragraph.

298 THE ASSURANCE OF FAITH, [sER.

any thing in itself, but comes in only upon Christ's right and
title ; his righteousness is the only proper, entitling, meritori-
ous condition of the covenant, and of all the promises of it.
Here lies the failure in presumptuous confidence, that the
man being never beat entirely off from Adam's covenant, he
is always seeking to found his title to the promise in himself,
some good condition or qualification wrought in him, or done
by him. Thus, many attempt to enter themselves heirs to
the promises, and to eternal life, but shall never be able :
Why ? Because they do not by faith enter themselves heirs in
Christ, or upon his right and title : and " another founda-
tion can no man lay ; for the gift of God is eternal life,
through Jesus Christ our Lord." Thus, I say, presumptuous
faith does not embrace the promise " as it is in Christ, in
whom all the promises of God are yea, and in him amen."
And then, I say, he does not embrace the promise as Jesus is
in it; for as all the promises are in Christ, so Christ is in all
the promises. What is it that is bequeathed in his testament,
but himself and all his fulness? He was the great mercy
promised to the fathers. When the covenant was promul-
gated unto Adam, and afterward to Abraham, what else was
it, but just a promise of Christ ? And when, in process of time,
the covenant of grace came to be farther opened, in a variety
of promises, what were they all, but Christ, and the grace
that is in him, parcelled out to us, that we by faith might
apply him, and the grace that is in him, according to our need?
And hence it is that the believer, in applying the promise,
finding Christ in it, he eats it, and it is to him the joy and re-
joicing of his heart ; he finds the Lord in his own word of
grace, and this makes it relieving and comforting to his soul ;
he drinks in the sincere milk of the zvord because in it he tastes
that the Lord is gracious. But now presumptuous faith is
more taken up with the naked promises, than with feeding
the soul with Christ in and by the promise. A man that is
possessed of Christ by faith, has not Christ and his promise by
him, as a man has money lying by him in his coffer ; he has
not the covenant and promises, as a man has his bonds and
charters in his cabinet, which perhaps he will not look to
once in a year: no, but he has Christ in the word of grace,
as a man has his bread by him, which he is daily feeding and
living upon : hence this applicatory faith is called an " eating
the flesh, and a drinking the blood of Christ;" which expres-
sion implies such an application of Christ to ourselves, as car-
ries soul-nourishment along with it. True faith roots the soul
in Christ, just as a tree is rooted in the ground ; the prolific
virtue of the earth enters into the tree, and the tree at the
same time strikes and spreads its fibres into the earth, and
draws sap and moisture therefrom, sending a digested nourish-

XI 1 OPENED AND APPLIED. 299

ment through the whole, by which it is made to grow and
bring forth fruit. So here, in believing, the Spirit of life
which is in Christ Jesus enters into the soul ; and at the same
time, there is as it were a sprig and fibre passing from every
faculty of the soul, striking into Christ, and drawing a digested
sap from him, by which the soul is made to grow and flourish
in grace and holiness. Hence we are said to be " his work-
manship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works." And,
" Those that be planted in the house of the Lord, do flourish
in the courts of our God."

3dly, True faith receives and applies Christ according to
the order that God has laid in his offices ; but presumptuous
faith inverts that order. The order that God has laid in the
execution and application of the offices of Christ, is this : Christ
comes by his, word and Spirit, as a Prophet, enlightening the
sinner's mind with the knowledge of his lost estate by nature,
and the way of his recovery through his atoning blood and
satisfaction: upon which the soul, by faith turns into him as
a Priest, taking sanctuary under the covert of his everlasting
righteousness ; and so submits to him as a King, receiving the
law from his mouth, and yielding itself to his government,
from a principle of gratitude to him who has bought it with
a price. But now the presumptuous faith of the legalist in-
verts and disturbs this comely order laid by infinite wisdom
among the offices of Christ : for in his way of applying Christ,
he begins with the kingly office, pretending to obey him as a
Lawgiver; and, upon this ground, expects that Christ will
save him as a Priest by his righteousness; and thus makes his
own obedience the ground of the imputation of the righteous-
ness of Christ. And what else is this, but to bring money and
price, contrary to the express command of God? Is. lv. 1.
Nothing can be of a more pernicious tendency toward the
overthrow of the freedom of God's grace, in the great affair
of justification and salvation. Hence it is the apostle so much
inveighs against this method of seeking justification, in the
Galatians ; insomuch that he tells them expressly, that by
this way they made themselves " debtors to do the whole law;
yea," says he, " Christ is become of no effect unto you, who-
soever o'f you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from
grace," Gal. v. 2—4. This method of inverting the order
of Christ's offices, and making the first act of faith to terminate
upon him as a king, as it is a way of thinking most agreeable
to nature, which runs with a mighty bias towards Adam's
covenant : so, 1 judge, nature is much fortified in this way of
taking up the method of salvation by Christ, by the strain of
some men's doctrine in our day, who inculcate faith and re-
pentance as new precepts given out by Christ in the gospel,
which were never required in the moral law of the ten com-

300 THE ASSURANCE OF FAITH, [SER.

mandments. For if this be so, then inevitably we must first
obey Christ as a king, by repenting and believing, in order to
our being justified by him as a priest; besides many other
dangerous consequences which are unavoidable upon this new
law-scheme. All which are avoided, by teaching, with the
strain of orthodox divines, that there are no precepts in the
gospel strictly taken ; and that Christ in the gospel gives no
new laws, but enforces the old law, namely, the moral, which
being adapted to the gospel-dispensation, obliges us to believe
in Christ upon his being revealed to us in the gospel, and con-
sequently to repent also in an evangelical manner. For that
these duties of faith and repentance, as to their essence, are
required in the very first commandment of the moral law, is
indisputably evident; and J do think it strange, to find it con-
troverted by any who embrace and own the doctrine of the
church of Scotland, particularly the Larger Catechism, where
that point is plainly determined, in the explication of the fore-
said first commandment. But it is not proper to insist on this
controversy in a discourse of this nature ; if need be, it may
be discussed apart.

4thly, Another difference betwixt the my of faith, and the
my of presumption, is this, That the assurance of faith will
maintain its claim, and humble confidence, even under sad
challenges, and a deep and abasing sense of much prevailing
iniquity ; whereas presumptuous confidence succumbs and
fails upon the prevalency of sin. The reason of this is, be-
cause the ground of presumptuous confidence is within the
man ; some good disposition and qualification which he finds
within him, as he apprehends, which being dashed by the
eruption of his reigning lusts, he has no more to look to; the
foundation of his confidence is gone. But now, faith builds
and bases its confidence, not within, but on something with-
out, namely, the everlasting righteousness of the Lord Jesus,
and the mercy of God running in this channel, exhibited in
the word of grace. Here it is that faith sets down its foot,
and upon this foundation it stands, against which the gates of
hell cannot prevail. And thus, having the ground of its con-
fidence from without, it is not shaken with every insurrection
from within. An instance of which we see in David, Psal.
Ixv. 3. The holy man, in the first part of the verse, cries out,
under a sense of the strength, power, and guilt of sin, " Iniqui-
ties prevail against me." Well, but what says faith in such
a case? " As for our transgressions, thou shalt purge them
away." Another instance of the like nature, we see in the
same holy man, Psal. cxxx. We find him, ver. 3, under such
a sense of sin and guilt, that, viewing himself as he stood in
the eye of the law and of justice, he cannot shun to own, "If
thou, Lord, shouldst mark iniquities, O Lord, who shall stand?"

XI.] OPENED AND APPLIED. 301

Well, but where does David's faith find a standing in such a
case ? Only in the mercy and grace of a reconciled God in
Christ ; and therefore he adds, ver. 4, " But there is forgive-
ness with thee, that thou mayest be feared ; and plenteous
redemption, that thou mayest be sought unto." I do own,
that a real believer may be sadly shaken, as to the confidence
of his interest in Christ, under prevailing iniquity ; but this
certainly is his infirmity, and not his faith. Many real be-
lievers live more by sense than by faith ; and hence it comes
that they are soon shaken, whenever sensible experience is
overclouded, under the sense of prevailing iniquity ; though
the pain of it is a just correction of their folly. Whenever
faith recovers from under the fit of unbelief, and views what
the soul is, and has, in Christ, and in the covenant, it recovers
its stability and confidence, and withal, brings into the soul
strength against corruption, so that it goes out against it "like
a giant refreshed with wine." But, say you, may not pre-
sumptuous faith recover its confidence also? I answer, No
doubt it may: but then the difference lies here — True faith
goes to work in quite a different way, in order to the soul's
recovery, from that which the presumptuous legalist takes.
When the terrors of the law, or challenges of conscience, have
at any time battered down presumptuous confidence, the man
goes to work and fills up the hole that the law has made in
his soul, with the new earth of his own obedience, reforma-
tion, duties, and the like, and with this " untempcred morter"
he daubs and makes up the breach made in his conscience.
But, on the other hand, though the believer be as diligent in
the way of duty as the other, yet nothing in heaven or earth
can satisfy him under challenges, or afford him ease or quiet,
but Christ himself, and his righteousness apprehended and ap-
plied by faith : no balm but that of Gilead can cure his wound ;
he fetches his healing only from under the wings of the Sun
of righteousness ; all is but loss and dung in comparison of this,
Phil. iii. 8, 9.

There are several other differences might be given between
the my of faith, and the my of presumption, if I were not
afraid of being tedious. Only, in short, the more of the as-
surance of faith, or yet of well-grounded experience, the more
lowliness, humility, and self-abasement. The higher that the
soul is exalted in and by Christ, the lower does it sink in its
own eyes, saying with David, when God promised to build
him a sure house, and that the Messiah should spring of his
loins, "Who am I, O Lord God ? and what is my house, that
thou hast brought me hitherto'?" The poor believer, in this
case, sees himself to be such a miracle of rich and sovereign
grace, that he is even wrapped up in a silent wonder, and
put to an everlasting stand, that he knows not what to say,

vol. i. 26

302 THE ASSURANCE OF FAITH, [sER.

" And is this the manner of man, O Lord God ?" And what
can David say more 1 But now, the more of a presumptuous
confidence, the more pride and self-conceit, like Laodicea^ " I
am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing;"
accompanied with an undervaluing of others in comparison
of themselves, like the proud Pharisee, " God, I thank thee,
that I am not as other men, or even as this publican."

Again ; presumptuous assurance cherishes some secret and
beloved idol : the man spares some right-hand or right-eye sin;
and commonly his deceitful heart argues for its being spared,
because grace doth abound. But now, true faith and experi-
ence purifies the heart, and engages the man to an impartial
and universal opposition to all sin, as dishonourable to God,
and grieving to his Spirit ; and readily he directs his principal
force against these sins, which receive the greatest advantages
against him, by interest, custom, constitution, or education;
and the consideration of abounding grace is so far from en-
couraging him in sin, that it teaches him to " deny all ungod-
liness and worldly lusts, and to live soberly, righteously and
godly in this present world."

Lastly, The my of faith, or solid experience, is always ac-
companied with much love to the person of Christ, and resig-
nation of soul to him ; for " faith worketh by love." And
therefore, at the same time, that the soul is enabled to say,
"My beloved is mine," it cannot shun to add, " And I am his.
— One shall say, I am the Lord's." The man presents him-
self " a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is
his reasonable service." But now, as one well observes, pre-
sumption is lame of one hand : it has a hand to take pardon,
to take heaven, and the benefits of Christ; but as it has no
true love to his person, so it has not a hand to give or resign
the whole man to the Lord, to be for him, and not for ano-
ther: and the plain reason of this is, that the power of natu-
ral enmity was never broken, and the man is married to the
law, and to his lusts also. But passing this, 1 proceed to

CHAPTER IV.

Of the full Assurance of Faith.

III. The third general head proposed in the method, was
to speak a little of the full assurance of faith; for there is a
plain gradation in the apostle's way of speaking: there is
faith, then the assurance of faith, and then the full assurance
of faith. Having spoken of the two first degrees, I proceed
now to the last and highest degree of faith.

Before I go on directly to show what this full assurance of

XI.] OPENED AND APPLIED. 303

faith is, I premise these two or three things, which I conceive
to be imported in this expression of the Spirit of God: (1.) I
premise, that the faith of every believer is not of the same
size and strength. Some have a strong, and others have a
weak faith : yea, the faith of the strongest believer, like the
moon, has its waxings and wanings : or, like the sea, its ebb-
ings and flowings. Although every believer be in Christ, yet
every believer has not the same measure of faith ; as every
star is in the heavens, though every star be not of the same
magnitude. The rounds of Jacob's ladder were not all at the
top, though every round was a step towards heaven ; so,
though every faith be not triumphing in a full assurance, yet
every true faith is bending towards it. You may see one be-
liever under a full gale of the Spirit of faith, crying, with Job,
chap. xix. 25, " I know that my Redeemer liveth :" while an-
other labours under such discouragements, that, like the pub-
lican, he " stands afar off," with the tear in his eye, crying,
" God be merciful to me a sinner." You may see one saying
with Paul, " He loved me, and gave himself for me :" another,
through the prevalence of unbelief, saying, " Is his mercy-
clean gone for ever ? Hath he forgotten to be gracious V Per-
haps you shall find one believer surmounting all fears, saying
with the apostle, " Who shall separate me from the love of
Christ?" &c, while another is combating with many doubts,
ready to " raze foundations," saying, " I am ca&t out of thy
sight ;" and all men are liars that will say otherwise, the pro-
phets of God not excepted. It is with believers, as it is with
children in a family ; one perhaps is lying in the cradle, another
led by the mother or nurse, another can walk alone, a fourth
come to such full strength that he is able for work and busi-
ness. Thus, in the household of God there are babes, young
men, and fathers. (2.) I premise, that it is the duty of every
believer, yea, of the weakest, to press after faith in the high-
est degree of it. Hence it is that Christ frequently checks his
disciples for the weakness of their faith, " Why are ye fear-
ful, O ye of little faith 1 — O thou of little faith, wherefore didst
thou doubt?" True faith is a progressive thing, it goes on
from one degree to another : hence is that expression of the
apostle, Rom. i. 17 : " The gospel is the power of God unto
salvation ; for therein is the righteousness of God revealed
from faith to faith." Faith, in its first and weaker, and faith
in its repeated and stronger actings, feeds and centres upon
the righteousness of God's operation and imputation, for ac-
ceptance, pardon, and salvation. It is of the nature of all
true grace, particularly of the grace of faith, to breathe after
its own increase and perfection : hence is that prayer of the
disciples, " Lord, increase our faith ;" and that of the poor
man in the gospel, " Lord, I believe ; help thou mine unbe-

304 THE ASSURANCE OF FAITH, [SER.

lief." We must forget things that are behind, and reach
forth to things that are before: "The path of the just is as
the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the per-
fect day." (3.) I premise, that the certainty or assurance of
application, as explained above, ebbs or flows according to
the strength or weakness of the assent of faith. That there
are degrees of assurance, will be controverted by none, who
have any knowledge either of divinity or philosophy. The
very words of the apostle in the text import, that we are not
to rest in a lower, but ought to press after the highest degree
of the assurance of faith : and the apostle accounts it a great
blessing to the Thessalonians, that they had much assurance,
1 Thess. i. 5 : plainly intimating, that some true assurance
might be in a less degree. Now, I say, this assurance of ap-
plication bears a proportion to faith's assent, and waxes or
wanes as it is strong or feeble ; so that a strong assent has a
strong application, and a weak assent a weak application.

These things premised, I proceed to inquire what this full
assurance of faith is, or in what it consists. And, in one
word, I conceive it lies in such ' a firm and fixed persuasion,
confidence, or trust in the faithfulness of a God in Christ,
pledged in his covenant or promise, as overcomes and tramples
upon all difficulties and improbabilities, all doubts and fears
as to the actual performance of what is promised in God's time
and way ; and all this with particular application to the soul
itself.' This description I would illustrate and explain in its
several branches, were it not done upon the matter on the
former two heads ; this being nothing but a higher degree of
the self-same faith formerly described. Such an act of faith
we find put forth by Abraham, Rom. iv. 20, 21, where we
are told that " he staggered not at the promise of God through
unbelief; but was strong in faith giving glory to God: being
fully persuaded that what he had promised, he was able also
to perform." This full assurance of faith though mountains
of impediments were in its way, yet makes no more of them
than if they were a plain; it overleaps and overlooks them
all, fixing its eye only upon the power and faithfulness of the
blessed Promiser : as we see clearly exemplified in the case of
Abraham. His own body was dead, and incapable of pro-
creation; Sarah's womb was barren, and incapable of concep-
tion: sense and reason in this case would have been ready to
conclude, that it was impossible ever Abraham should have a
son. But we are told, ver. 19, that he entirely abstracted
from all considerations of that kind, " Being not weak in
faith, he considered not his own body now dead, when he was
about a hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sa-
ra's womb." He would not so much as listen to the sur-
mises of carnal reason; flesh and blood are put out of doors ;

Xi.] OPENED AND APPLIED. 305

and he rests with an assured confidence, without any doubting
or hesitation, upon the fidelity of the Promiser, being certain
that God would do to him in particular as he had said, when
the time of the vision should come. In like manner we find,
that after Abraham had gotten his beloved Isaac, the son of
the promise, what a terrible shock, may one think, would, it
be to his faith in the promise, when God commanded him to
take Isaac, of whom the promised seed (Christ) was to come,
and offer him upon one of the mountains of Moriah! Gen.
xxii. Reason here might be ready to object, and that not
without great colour of religion, Can God, who has so severely
forbidden murder, require me to imbrue my hands in the
blood of my own son? Will not such a thing be an eternal
reproach to Abraham and his religion 1 What will the
Egyptians say, and the Canaanites, and the Perizzites, who
dwell in the land? What will Sarah say, and how shall I ever
look her in the face 1 But especially what shall become of the
promise, and the veracity of him that made it, saying, In
Isaac, shall thy seed be called? Surely might unbelief and
sense say, either this command is a delusion, or else the pro-
mise is a lie. But Abraham had a full assurance of faith as
to the stability of the promise; and, therefore, he would upon
all hazards obey the command of a promising God: he was
fully persuaded that though Isaac were sacrificed and burnt
to ashes, yet out of the very ashes of his sacrificed son, God
could, and actually would raise up Isaac again, and so ac-
complish his own word of promise. Abraham, on the account
of this his noble and gallant faith, is fitly called the father of
the faithful, his faith being proposed as a pattern to all others
for their imitation; and every true believer is on this score a
" child of Abraham." And let none imagine that they are not
obliged to believe with such a faith as Abraham had ; for the
apostle expressly tells us, that the history of his faith stands
upon record in scripture, " not for his sake alone, but for us
also," that we, after his example, may be encouraged to " be-
lieve on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead,"
Rom. iv. 23, 24.

Object. O, say you, if I had as good ground for my faith
as Aljraham had ; if I were as sure that the promise were to
me, as Abraham was, I think I could believe with a full assu-
rance of faith, as he did : but there lies the strait. I answer,
You and I have as good ground of faith as ever Abraham
had. Abraham had a promising God in Christ to trust, and
so have we. You have the same God, the same Christ, the
same covenant, the same promise, as Abraham had. But, say
you, God spake to Abraham, in particular, by name, when he
gave him the promise, saying, " In thy seed shall all the na-
tions of the earth be blessed." I answer, Although you be

26*

306 THE ASSURANCE OF FAITH, [SER.

not designated by name and surname, as Abraham was, yet a
promising God in Christ addresses himself as particularly to
you in the word of grace, and the dispensation of the cove-
nant and promise, as though he called to you out of heaven by
name and surname, saying, " To you (that is, to you sinners of
Adam's race) is the word of this salvation sent. The pro-
mise is unto you that are afar off*," &c. And not only is the
promise presented, but an express command of believing su-
peradded, requiring and binding every particular person, to
take hold of it, and embrace it : so that, whatever shifts and
evasions the unbelieving and deceitful heart may make, the
promise of God comes as close and home to every individual
hearer of the gospel, as that promise did to Abraham, when
God spake to him with an audible voice out of heaven; yea,
" We have a more sure word of prophecy, unto which we
would do well to take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a
dark place." Farther, let it be considered that that promise
was first presented to Abraham as the object and foundation
of his faith, before he could believe it; and by believing it,
became his in possession ; or in believing it, he was possessed
of it as his own ; for, upon a supposition that he had not be-
lieved, he had never been possessed of the promised blessing.
In like manner, the promise is presented to you as the imme-
diate ground of believing; and in believing, you come to be
possessed of the great things contained in the promise ; but if
you do not believe, you shall not see " the salvation of God,"
Thus you see that you have the same ground of faith and the
same warrant for believing, that Abraham had : and there is
nothing to keep you from a full assurance of faith, or a be-
lieving without staggering at the promise, like Abraham, un-
less it be your own ignorance and unbelief.

I own, as was hinted already, that every true believer does
not come the length of Abraham, to believe without stagger-
ing; but that is not the question. The present question is, If
we have not now as good and firm a ground, and as good a
right to believe the promise as Abraham had? If Christ,
and his salvation and righteousness, be not brought as near
to us in the word of faith, as it was to him 1 This is what
none, who understand the privilege of a New Testament dis-
pensation, will venture to deny ; yea, I will venture to say,
that the ground of faith is laid before us under the New
Testament, with a far greater advantage than ever Abraham
had; inasmuch as the gospel-revelation is much more clear,
and brings Christ and his salvation much nearer to us, than
ever he was under any period of the old Testament dispensa-
tion. Abraham saw his day only afar off; whereas we live in
that very day which he saw at such a prodigious distance :
and, therefore, wre have much more ground to believe without

XI.J OPENED AND APPLIED. 307

staggering than he had. And, therefore, " seeing we have
boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus ;" and
" seeing we have a new and living way consecrated for us,
through the veil of his flesh ;" and " seeing we have a High
Priest over the house of God : let us draw near with a true
heart, in full assurance of faith," &c.

CHAPTER, V.

Of the Grounds of Faith's Assurance.

IV. The fourth thing proposed in the method, was to in-
quire into the grounds of this doctrine; or what it is that faith
has to build its confidence upon, in drawing near to God with
full assurance of acceptance. In answer to this question, I shall
not at present enter upon the particular grounds specified by
the apostle in the preceding verses, having discoursed on
them apart in several sermons, where he shows that every
bar and impediment on the part of law and justice are fully
removed, through the complete satisfaction and prevalent
mediation of the Son of God, as our great High Priest; upon
which a promise of welcome and hearty acceptance comes
forth from a reconciled God, to every one who will come to
him in this " new and living way," for grace and mercy to
help in a time of need. Thus, you will see the apostle's argu-
ment runs, by comparing this and the preceding verses, with
the verse immediately following, particularly the last clause
of it, " For faithful is he that hath promised ;" which clause,
included in a parenthesis, I conceive stands connected, not
only with the words immediately preceding in the same
verse, but with the words of my text also : and the scope of
the apostle is, as if he said, Let us draw near with a true heart
in full assurance of faith, &c. Why ? " For faithful is he that
hath promised " us welcome " into the holiest, by the blood
of Jesus :" faithful is he that hath promised acceptance it* the
"new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us:"
faithful is he that hath promised to pity, pardon, hear, and
help, through the mediation of the " great High Priest over
the house of God." And, therefore, seeing his faithfulness is
pledged to receive us in this way of his own devising, let us
answer his faithfulness, by " drawing near in full assurance
of faith," or with a full and certain persuasion, that, accord-
ing to his promise, we shall be " accepted in the beloved,"
who is the " door " to the holiest, the " new and living way,"
and the " High Priest over the house of God,"

So that you see the next or immediate ground of faith, or

308 THE ASSURANCE OF FAITH, [SER.

full assurance thereof, in drawing near to God, is, God's own
promise of acceptance through Jesus Christ : with which pro-
mises the word every where abounds, Is. lx. 7 ; Is. Ivi. 7 ;
Mark xi. 24; Matth. vii. 7; John xiv. 13, 14. Now, faith,
eyeing and pleading the promise of God in Christ, has many
things to hear it up into a full assurance ; I shall instance a
few of many.

1. The grace, mercy, and goodness of a promising God, re-
vealed and proclaimed in the word, is a noble ground for sin-
ners, and yet more for saints, to trust him, and draw near to
him through Christ, with a full assurance of faith : Psal.
xxxvi. 7 : " How excellent is thy loving-kindness, O God !
therefore the children of men put their trust under the sha-
dow of thy wings." It is contrary to the very dictates of
nature, for a man to trust one whom he apprehends to be an
enemy. If we have but a suspicion that one bears us an ill-will,
or designs our hurt, we will not trust or confide in him : but
persuade a man once that such a one is his friend, that he
has an entire love and kindness for him, and wants only an
opportunity to do him the greatest services he is capable; in
that case, he will trust him without hesitation. Just so is it
with the case in hand : so long as we conceive God to be an
implacable enemy, our prejudice and enmity against him will
remain ; and while enmity against God stands in its full
strength, it is absolutely impossible we can have any trust or
confidence in him : instead of drawing near to him with full
assurance of faith, we flee from him, like our first parents,
under the awful apprehensions of his wrath and vengeance :
but let us once be persuaded that he is a God of love, grace,
pity, and good-will in Christ, then, and never till then, will
we put our trust under the shadow of his wings. And there-
fore, to break the strength of our enmity and prejudice, and
so to conciliate our trust in him, he is at the greatest pains
imaginahle to persuade us, that he bears a hearty liking and
good-will toward us in Christ. And there are more espe-
cially these three ways God takes to convince us of his good-
will toward men upon earth.

1st, By solemn proclamations and declarations of his mer-
cy and grace : Exod. xxxiv. 6, 7 : there the Lord passed by
Moses, and proclaimed his name to him ; and what is it ?
" The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, long-suf-
fering, and abundant in goodness and truth, keeping mercy
for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression, and sin,
and that will by no means clear the guilty ;" or, as some read
it, in clearing he will clear; That is, in clearing the sinner of
guilt by pardoning grace, he will clear himself of injustice;
he will make it appear that " he is just," when he is " the
justitier of him that believes in Jesus." Every where in

XI.] OPENED AND APPLIED. 309

scripture is the pardoning mercy of God proclaimed and
presented as an encouragement to sinners to trust in him;
Psal. cxxx. 7 : " Let Israel hope in the Lord ; for with the
Lord there is mercy, and with him is plenteous redemption."

<2dly, By solemn oath. Lest we should disbelieve his word,
he superadds his oath, to convince us that he has no ill-will,
but a hearty good-will toward our salvation and happiness,
through the new and living way : Ezek. xxxiii. 11: " As I
live, saith the Lord God, I have no pleasure in the death of
the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live :
turn ye, turn ye from your evil ways ; for why will ye die,
O house of Israel ?" " An oath," among men, is " for con-
firmation" of a controverted truth, and " is to them an end of
all strife," (says the apostle,) Heb. vi. 16. Shall the oath of
a man be so much regarded, as to determine controversies
among men 1 How much more is the oath of the great God
to be regarded, pawning his very life upon it, that he is not
willing that any should perish, that he bears a hearty good-
will toward our salvation through Christ 1 Shall this be any
more a controversy with us? To entertain a doubt or jealousy
of what he says, is to make him a liar ; and to doubt and dis-
believe what he swears, is to charge a God of truth wath per-
jury. And beware of looking upon it as a matter of indiffer-
ence, whether you believe this declared good-will, mercy,
and grace of God, or not ; for that in which God interposes
the solemnity of an oath, must needs be a matter of vast
importance ; and to think otherwise, is to charge the eternal
God with a profanation of his own name, which he will not
suffer in others without the highest resentment.

3dly, As if his word and his oath were not enough to con-
vince us of his mercy, love, and good-will toward us, he has
given the most convincing and practical demonstration of it
that was possible for God to give, and that is, by giving him-
self, in the person of his eternal Son, to be incarnate, or ma-
nifested in our nature ; to be made even like to us in all things,
sin only excepted. O how " great is this mystery of god-
liness, God manifested in the flesh ?" Without controversy,
great and unsearchable is the mystery of love and good-will
that shines with a meridian lustre in an incarnate Deity. If
God had not loved us, and borne such a hearty desire after
our happiness and salvation, would he ever have made such
a near approach to us as to dwell in our nature, when he
passed by the nature of angels 1 Yea, he was not content to
become one with us in nature ; but he goes farther, and be-
comes one in law with us ; he puts his name into our debt-
bond, and becomes "sin for us, that we might be made the
righteousness of God in him ;" he becomes " a curse for us,
that we might inherit the blessing." It was a view of this

310 THE ASSURANCE OF FAITH, [SER.

design of love to man, shining in the incarnation of the Son
of God, which made the angels at his birth to break forth with
that celestial anthem, " Glory to God in the highest, and on
earth peace, good-will towards men," Luke ii. 14. Now,
this love, and good-will of God toward man, in the incarna-
tion of his eternal Son, is proposed in the gospel-revelation,
as the greatest encouragement imaginable for guilty rebellious
sinners to lay aside their enmity and prejudice against God,
and so to put their trust and confidence in him ; as is plain,
like a sunbeam, from that great text, John iii. 16 : " God so
loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son :" Why,
what was God's design in all this good-will ? " That who-
soever believeth in him, should not perish, but have ever-
lasting life." Because of the excellency of this love, " the
sons of men do put their trust under the shadow of his
wings." Now, I say, faith, in drawing near to God, takes a
view of this mercy and love of God in Christ, and upon this
ground raises itself up sometimes so high, as to draw near
in full assurance of acceptance : for still it should be remem-
bered, that faith, under the conduct of the Spirit, takes up
this revealed love and mercy of God to sinners, with par-
ticular application of it to the soul itself, as was before hint-
ed. And what can be more encouraging to a trust, without
doubting of acceptance 1 O then, " let Israel hope in the
Lord ; for with the Lord there is mercy." O do not enter-
tain jealousies of a God of love, as though he were dis-
pleased or dissatisfied with you for your trusting in his mercy ;
for " the Lord taketh pleasure in them that fear him, in those
that hope in his mercy."

2. Faith grounds its assurance upon the infinite power of a
promising God. Being once persuaded of his love, mercy,
and good-will in Christ, it proceeds to fasten its foot upon
everlasting strength, as fully able to fulfil what he has pro-
mised, saying, I know that thou canst do every thing, and there
is nothing too hard for thee." Indeed, infinite power, armed
with wrath and fury, is the terror of a guilty sinner ; but in-
finite power, animated with infinite love, proclaiming, " Fury
is not in me," through the ransom that I have found, is a noble
ground of trust, and may imbolden a guilty sinner to "take hold
of his strength, that he may make peace with him." Hence it
is, that the power of God in Christ is frequently presented in
scripture as a ground of trust ; Is. xxvi. 4 : " Trust ye in the
Lord for ever, for in the Lord Jehovah is everlasting strength."
The faith of Abraham founded itself upon this rock of the
power of God, in that fore-cited instance, (Rom. iv.) when
he believed without staggering at the promise. Being first
persuaded of God's good-will toward him, in giving him a
promise of the Messiah to spring of his loins, " in whom all

XI.] OPENED AND APPLIED. 311

the nations of the earth should be blessed ;" he next fixes the
eye of his faith upon the power of this promising God, and
was " fully persuaded, that what he had promised, he was
able also to perform." So, Matth. ix. 27, we read of two
blind men following Christ, sending their cries after him.
" Thou son of David, have mercy on us." They first be-
lieved that Christ was the promised Messiah, the son of David;
and in this they saw mercy and good-will to man upon earth,
he being the seed of the woman, that should bruise the head
of the serpent." Well, Christ leads them on next to take a
view of the power of God in him, as a farther ground of
trust and confidence: ver. 28; " Jesus saith unto them, Be-
lieve ye that I am able to do this?" They answrer, "Yea,
Lord :" and thereupon Christ says to them, ver. 29, " Ac-
cording to your faith, be it unto you." Thus, I say, faith
grounds its trust, confidence, or assurance, in drawing near
to God through the " new and living way," upon the pozcer of
a promising God.

O, sirs, there is no such distance betwixt God's saying and
his doing, as there is among men; for his saying is doing:
Psal. xxxiii. 9 : " He spake, and it was done ; he commanded,
and it stood fast." There is an omnipotence or almightiness
both in his word of command, and in his word of promise;
therefore it is called " the word of his power," Heb. i. 3. And
by this powerful word, he upholds the great fabric of heaven
and earth, that they do not return to their original nothing:
and may not our faith venture to stand upon that bottom, on
which heaven and earth stand? We are not afraid that this
ponderous globe of earth, which hangs in the liquid air, will
slide away from under our feet with its own weight: Whv ?
Because wTe believe that the word of God's power has fixed
it in its proper place, that it shall not be removed for ever.
Why should we not rest with as much assured confidence, as
to everlasting concerns, upon God's covenant and promise,
seeing the same power of God is in the word of promise, as
in that word which upholds the earth? Yea, " the fashion of
this world passcthaway, but the word of the Lord," his word
of grace and promise, the foundation of faith and trust, " en-
dureth for ever." This is a consideration which at once re-
moves the principal discouragements that faith labours under.
What is it that weakens our faith, and keeps it from arriving
at a full assurance, as to the performance of the promise, but
one of these two? Either we look upon the performance of
the promise as difficult, or uncertain. Now, faith eyeing the
power of a promising, reconciled God in Christ, can easily sur-
mount both, and conclude, that the performance of the pro-
mise is both easy and certain. (1.) It is certain, for it depends
upon the will of an unchangeable God, the promise being a

312 THE ASSURANCE OF FAITH, [SER.

declaration of God's purpose or will of grace ; he was willing
to promise, for he has actually done it, " the word is gone out
of his mouth ;" and he is willing to perform, for he is a God
of truth, always yea, and amen. (2.) Faith, viewing the power
of God, sees the performance to be easy. What is more easy
than speaking a word ? and yet one word from the mouth of
God, can give being and accomplishment to all the promises,
without any pain, cost, trouble, or hazard. The covenant of
grace may be resembled to a tree, the promises to the branches
of the tree, loaded with all manner of precious fruit. Now,
the least word, the least breath from the mouth of God,
shakes the tree, and makes all the fruit of it to drop down,
as it were, into the believer's bosom. And O, may the be-
liever argue, will not he, who so loved a lost world, as to give
his only begotten Son, and who loved me, and gave himself for
me, will not he spend a word, or the breath of his mouth, on
me? Believe it, there is nothing but a word between you and
all the sure mercies of David : yea, the word is already passed
out of his mouth, I mean, the word of grace and promise ;
and there remains nothing but for you to believe, trust, con-
tide in it, and him that made it ; and, in your so doing, all the
sure mercies of the promise are your own in Christ. I sup-
pose you do not doubt, but that God who cannot lie has pro-
mised. Now, there is as much reason to believe that he will
perform, as to believe that he has passed his promise ; for as
was hinted above, to promise and perform, to say and to do,
are all one thing with him. Indeed, when men promise, there
is much ground to doubt the performance, because frequently
things cast up afterward, which render it impracticable for
them to do as they have said. But no such thing can happen
unto him, who perfectly foresees all future events, and who
" commands things that are not, as if they were." Now, I say,
faith sees all this, and thereby raises itself up to a full as-
surance, at least there is ground here for a full assurance of
faith, and no ground at all for doubting and wavering. And
were not our faith pinioned with ignorance and unbelief, it
couid not miss to believe without staggering upon this ground,
as did the faith of Abraham.

3. The veracity and faithfulness of a God in Christ, pledged
in the promise, is another ground upon which faith builds,
when it draws near with a full assurance. Faithfulness in
God, and faith in man, are correlates ; and there is such a
fitness and relation between these two, that our faith cannot
subsist without faithfulness in God. And, on (he other hand,
a revelation of God's faithfulness would have been needless,
if there were not some to believe him. The light would be
useless, if there were not an eye to see it ; and the eye would
be useless, if there were no light. To an unbelieving sinner,

XI.] OPENED AND APPLIED. 313

the revelation of the divine faithfulness is as unprofitable, as
light is to a blind man ; and our faith would be like an eye
without light, if there were not faithfulness in God. Yea,
faithfulness in God is the very parent of faith in man. Faith
is at first begotten and wrought in the soul by some discovery
of the divine faithfulness in the word of grace; and it is main-
tained and increased in the same way and manner. Whence
is it that some believe, and others not, who equally enjoy the
same revealed warrants and grounds of faith ? The matter
is this, the faithfulness of God in the covenant and promise is
revealed by the Spirit to the one, and veiled and hid from the
other, " the god of this world blinding the minds of them
which believe not." And whence is it, that at one time a
believer is " strong in faith, giving glory to God;" and at
another time, " staggers through unbelief ?" The reason is
this, the faithfulness of God at one time is so visible to him,
that he sees it to be like a mountain of brass under him: at
another time his light is so dark and dim, that he imagines
the promise, and the faithfulness of the Promiser, to be but
like a broken reed, not able to bear his weight. But, O sirs,
what can be ground of assurance, yea of the highest and ful-
lest assurance of faith, if not the veracity of that God, who
hath " righteousness for the girdle of his loins, and faithful-
ness for the girdle of his reins'?"

Let us but take a view of the high securities by which the
divine faithfulness is engaged, as to the out-making of his pro-
mise, and see if there be not ground for a full assurance of
faith. The most jealous and suspicious heart in the world,
could not desire greater security from the most treacherous
person on earth, than a God of truth has granted to us, for
pur encouragement to believe.

1st, Then, Let it be considered, that the bare promise, though
there were no more, is abundance of security, especially if
we consider whose promise it is; it is "God that cannot lie,
who promises." A graceless Balaam gives him this testimony,
" God is not a man that he should lie, neither the son of man
that he should repent ; hath he said, and shall he not do it 1 or
hath he spoken, and shall lie not make it good!" We will ven-
ture to trust the word of a man like ourselves, especially if
he be a man of integrity and honesty, who, we think, will
not falsify his word: and shall we have trust and credit to
give to a man who may lie and repent, and yet no credit or
trust to give to him " for whom it is impossible to lie ?" God
has so great a regard to his word of promise, that it is of more
worth in his reckoning than heaven and earth, and all the
visible creation ; yea, " Heaven and earth shall pass away,
but one jot or one tittle of what he hath spoken shall never

vol. i. 27

314 THE ASSURANCE OF FAITH, [SER.

fall to the ground." Yea, I will adventure to say, farther,
that the divine faithfulness is so much engaged in the promise,
that his very bei?ig is concerned in it. Man may break his
word, and continue to be man stiil ; but God could not be God,
if he were not faithful and true, because faithfulness is essen-
tial to his very nature and being. Now, is not that word a
sufficient ground of faith, and of full assurance, as to the per-
formance of which the very being of a God of truth is so much
concerned '? But this is not all ; for,

2dhj, Not only is the word of promise passed out of his lips,
but it is entered and registered in the volume of his book. You
know, the bare word of an honest man is good, but his written
and registered word or promise is better. When we put a
man's bond in the register of human courts, it is in order to
our better security, and getting the more speedy diligence
thereupon. Now, God has consented to the registration of his
word of promise, yea, it is actually enrolled and registered in
the scriptures of truth ; and is not this a high engagement of
the faithfulness of God? Perhaps you may think, if you had
voices, visions, and revelations from heaven immediately, you
could believe ; but I can assure you, in the name of God,
that the Bible, the book of God, which you have among your
hands, is a far better, a much more solid ground of faith and
trust, than any thing of that kind. The apostle Peter tells
us, 2 Pet. i. 17, that he was taken up into mount Tabor, at
Christ's transfiguration, and there he heard a voice coming
forth from the excellent glory, saying, " This is my beloved
Son, in whom I am well pleased." This was a rare privilege,
and a notable encouragement to believe: but yet, says he,
ver. 19, "We have a more sure word of prophecy: where-
unto ye do well that ye take heed,1' &c. O sirs, think on
this, and prize and improve your Bibles.

3dty, The faithfulness of God is so much engaged in the
promise, that it is a sealed deed. The great and infinite Je-
hovah, in the person of his eternal Son, has sealed the promise,
yea, sealed it with his 6/000'. Dan. ix. 27, we are told con-
cerning the Messiah, that he should confirm the cove?ia?it zcith
ma?n/. And how does he confirm it, but by his death ? Hence
the blood of Christ is called " the blood of the covenant:" so
-Heb. ix. 16, 17: " Where a testament is, there must also of
necessity be the death of the testator. For a testament is of
force after men are dead : otherwise it is of no strength at all
whilst, the testator liveth." Thus, I say, the promise is sealed
and confirmed by the blood of the Lamb, the most valuable
seal that ever was appended to any deed in the world. And, in
token and testimony of its being sealed by a Redeemer's blood,
God has appended two other visible seals to his covenant of

XI.] OPENED AND APPLIED. 315

promise, namely, baptism and the Lord's supper, which are
" seals of the righteousness of faith ;" that is, as I take it, seals
of that covenant where God promises peace and pardon, grace
and glory, on the score of the imputed righteousness of Christ,
apprehended by faith. And whenever these sacraments are
dispensed to us, according to God's appointment, we have a
sealed and confirmed promise and testament put into our
hands, for our faith to feed and feast upon.

Athly, The faithfulness of God is so far engaged in the pro-
mise, that his oath is interposed: Heb. vi. 13 — 18: there we
read of " two immutable things, in which it is impossible for
God to lie." His word is immutable, for it is always yea. But
that we might have strong consolation, by having a strong
ground of faith and confidence, he superadds his immutable
oath : he not only speaks, but swears. Now, observe how
the apostle speaks" of the oath of God, ver. 13: " Because he
could swear by no greater, he sware by himself;" as if he
had said, If God could have gone higher in his oath, he would
have done it. The form of God's oath is peculiar to himself,
As Hive; he swears by his life, he swears by his holiness, he
swears by his being and Godhead. As true as I am God, 1
zoill bless thee, says the Lord to Abraham, ver. 14. But, may
a poor soul say, what is that to me 1 what interest or con-
cern have I in God's oath to Abraham 1 O yes, says the apos-
tle, this concerns you and me, " who have fled for refuge to
lay hold upon the hope set before us," ver. 18 : as if he should
say, This concerns every poor soul, that has a mind for sal-
vation in the " new and living way consecrated for us." He
may say, and should say in himself, As sure as God said and
sware to Abraham, so surely hath God said and sworn that I
shall be saved, in fleeing for refuge to Christ, who is our hope.
As if the Lord should say, O sinner, I set my own Son before
thee in the gospel, as thy only refuge and sanctuary ; I set
him forth as a propitiation through faith in his blood ; O flee,
flee to him for thy life. " Turn ye to your strong hold, ye pri-
soners of hope;" for as sure as I am God, thou shalt be saved
in him : " Israel shall be saved in the Lord with an everlast-
ing salvation." O what a great matter is this, the oath of
God ! What will we ever believe, or whom will we believe,
if we do not believe a God of truth swearing by his life ? Do
not say, you are not concerned with his oath ; for as by be-
lieving you set to your seal, that he is true in what he says
and swears ; so by your unbelief you call him a liar, and,
upon the matter, charge him with perjury, as was already
hinted. And for you who have actually fled by faith to his
Son, you shall be as sure of God's blessing through eternity,
as ever Abraham was, when he heard God swearing to him,

316 THE ASSURANCE OF FAITH, . [SER.

" Surely, blessing I will bless thee, and multiplying, I will
multiply thee."

hthly, The faithfulness of God is yet farther engaged to
believers in the promise, by giving a pledge or earnest of the
full performance : and the pledge he gives, is of more worth
than heaven and earth. O, say you, what is that 1 I answer,
It is the " Holy Spirit of promise, which is the earnest of the
inheritance," Eph. i. 13, 14. If ever thou felt the Holy Spirit
breathing on thee, by his saving influences and operations,
thou hast the earnest of the inheritance, a pledge that all the
promises shall be fully accomplished in God's time. You
know, if a man give a pledge, it is a security for the full bar-
gain ; and if a man do not fulfil his bargain, he loses his
pledge : so here, God will as soon forfeit his Spirit, as break
his word. And is not this notable security to the believer?
Is not this a high engagement of the faithfulness of God?

Gthly, The faithfulness of God is yet farther engaged in the
promise, by the. concurring declaration of the most famous wit-
nesses that ever bore testimony in any cause, jointly attesting
the truth of the promise, and veracity of the Promiser, 1 John
v. 7: "There are three that bear record in heaven, the Fa-
ther, the Word, and the Holy Ghost; and these three are
one." The eternal Father attests the truth of the promise
with a " Thus saith the Lord." The Son attests it, who is
the essential and substantial Word ; for he is " the truth, the
Amen, the faithful and true witness, who speaks in righteous-
ness." The Holy Ghost attests it; for he is "the Spirit of
truth, leading into all truth ;" he is the Holy Spirit of promise,
not only because he himself is promised, but because he testi-
fies of the truth of the promise, and faithfulness of the Pro-
miser; and by his power and efficacy, seals and stamps these
upon the soul, by which he works faith or believing. Now,
all these three witnesses are one; not only one in essence,
but one in their testimony. And what is the testimony and
record of a Trinity? It is this, ver. 11: "That God hath
given " (that is, granted in his covenant of grace and pro-
mise) " to us eternal life ; and this life is in his Son." And
when this record or testimony of a Trinity is not believed,
we make God a liar. From the whole, you see what high
and deep engagements the divine faithfulness is come under
for the out-making and accomplishment of the promise. O,
then, " let us draw near with a true heart, in full assurance
of faith; for faithful is he that hath promised" acceptance in
the beloved."

But now, after all that has been said, some may be ready
to object, It is true, the good-will, power, and veracity of the
Promiser, are excellent encouragements to those who have

XI.] OPENED AND APPLIED. 317

a right to the promise to draw near to God in Christ with full
assurance of faith : but that is my strait and difficulty, I doubt
and fear, lest I have no claim or title to the promise of wel-
come into " the holiest by (he blood of Jesus, by that new and
living way." An answer to this leads me to,

4. A fourth ground { taken in connexion with the former)
upon which faith may build its assurance, in drawing near to
God by the new and living way, and that is, the endorsement
or direction of the promise of welcome through Christ. To
whom, say you, is the promise endorsed ? I answer, It is di-
rected to every man to whom the joyful sound of this ever-
lasting gospel reaches, John iii. 16. There you see that the
promise of acceptance, and of eternal life through Christ,,
reaches forth its arms to a lost world : " Whosoever believet'h
in him, shall not perish, but have everlasting life." So here,
Whosoever draweth near to the holiest by the blood of Jesus,
by the " new and living way," through the mediation of the
great High Priest, shall " obtain grace and mercy to help them
in time of need." The covenant of grace, and promises there-
of, arc so framed by Infinite Wisdom, in the external dispen-
sation of the gospch that they look to every man and woman ;
and, as it were, invite them to believe, and encourage them
to enter into the holiest. He that sits on a throne of grace,
calls every one within his hearing, to come for grace and
mercy, assuring them, that come to him who will, " he will in
no wise cast out." And we that are the heralds and minis-
ters of the great King, whose name is " the Lord, merciful
and gracious," have warrant and commission to proclaim,
that " to you, men," and " the sons of man, is the word of this
salvation sent: The promise is" directed to you, as a ground
of faith, even "to you, and to your seed, and to all that are
afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call." There
is not the least peradventure, but the call or command of be-
lieving is to every one; otherwise unbelief could not be their
sin. Now, the promise, in the endorsement and direction of
it, must be as extensive as the command : these two are in-
separably linked together, both in the external dispensation,
and in the inward application of the Spirit; insomuch that
whosoever is commanded to believe, has right to the promise,
as the immediate ground of his faith ; and whosoever actually
believes, and builds upon this ground, has the promise in his
possession. Take away the promise from the command of
believing, you separate' what God has joined together, and,
in effect, command men to build without a foundation. It is
true, Christ is the object of faith ; but it is as true, that he
can only be the object of faith to us, as he is brought near-in
the word of faith or promise, Rom. x. 8 : And therefore, see*

27*

318 THE ASSURANCE OF FAITH, [SER.

ing the promise is to you and me, and every one who hears
this gospel, I may warrantably say with the apostle, Heb. iv.
1, "Let us fear, lest a promise being left us of entering into
his rest, any of you should seem to come short of it." From
which text it is plain, that the promise of an everlasting rest,
in and through Christ, is left even to those who, like the Isra-
elites, may come short of it through unbelief. And how is it
left us, but to be applied by faith? Christ our elder brother
lias left his confirmed testament in our hands, to be improved
and used in a way of believing, in order to our being actually
entitled to, and in due time, fully possessed of that rest, which
is the purchase of his death and blood. O, then, let us fear,
lest, when the promise is thus left us, we should seem to come
short of the possession ; for the promise can never be ours in
possession, though left its, unless we believe ; as is plain from
the words immediately following, ver. 2, where it is added,
concerning the unbelieving Jews, " The word preached "
(namely, the promise of " entering into his rest," as is plain
from the connexion) " did not profit them, not being mixed
with faith in them that heard it." A king's proclamation,
and promise of pardon to a company of rebels, cannot profit
any of them but such as accept of it. A legacy left by latter-
will of a rich and wealthy friend, to a certain family, without
specifying one individual person of the family, can only profit
that person, or those branches of the family who claim right
to the legacy, upon their friend's testament; but to the rest
it is unprofitable, because, through pride, or ignorance, or
sloth, they forsake their own mercy. Or, suppose a letter
should come endorsed to me, containing a bank-note of 50,
100, or 1000 pounds sterling, or more if you will; the en-
dorsement of the letter to me, gives me a right to carry the
bill to the bank, and ask payment : but if, through pride and
conceit that I am rich, and increased with goods, I will not
receive the letter, nor ask payment of the sum, in that case
I come short of my own privilege, and it becomes unprofita-
ble to me. 1 own, lhat in every one of these similitudes, there
is a dissimilitude; the only use I make of them is, to show
how near Christ and his salvation is brought to us in the word
of faith or promise, that thereby we may be encouraged to
draw near by the blood of Jesus, with full assurance of faith,
seeing he is faithful that hath promised acceptance in this
new and living way. To all that is said, f shall only add;

5. Let it encourage us to draw near in full assurance of
faith, that there is no lauful impediment to hinder our access
and success, in entering with boldness into the holiest by the
blood of Jesus. Every bar and hinderance that stood in our
way, is mercifully removed by our great High Priest, who is

XI.] OPENED AND APPLIED. 319

over the house of God. All the impediments that can be plead-
ed on God's part, are the law, justice, and holiness of God ; and
all the impediment that can be pleaded on our part is sin. —
Now, none of these ought to hinder our drawing near in this
new and living way, with full assurance of faith.

As for the law, that cannot be a just impediment to hinder
our access; for that moment the soul enters by Christ, as the
way to the Father, the law gets its end, Christ being " the
end of the law for righteousness to everyone that believeth."
Now, can the law be against its own end, or that which gives
it its due 1 All that the law demands is a perfect and sinless
righteousness; give it that, and it has no more to seek. Now,
this the law gets, that moment that a sinner believes, or
draws near by the blood of Jesus. " What the law could
not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending
his own Son, in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin con-
demned sin in the flesh ; that the righteousness of the law
might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after
the Spirit," Rom. viii. 3, 4. From whence it is plain, that
every soul that believes in Christ, is that moment vested, by
imputation, with the righteousness of the Son of God, whereby
" the law is magnified, and made honourable." And there-
fore, in drawing near by the blood of Jesus, instead of having
the law against us, we have the law for us, and on our side;
we have a perfect law-righteousness to plead upon.

Again ; as for the justice of God, this is ready to scare us,
who are guilty sinners, from so much as looking toward the
holiest, or the place where God's honour dwells. But this
can be no impediment either to our drawing near by the
blood of Jesus, with full assurance of faith : Why? That
which justice demands, is a complete satisfaction for the in-
jury done to the honour and authority of God, by the breach
and violation of the holy and righteous law, which was a
transcript of the purity and equity of his nature : now, when
a sinner draws near, or enters into the holiest by the blood
of Jesus, he gives justice that which it wants also, namely, a
ransom of infinite value, even the ransom that God has found,
the propitiation that God has set forth in the gospel, to be re-
ceived by faith. The man, in believing, as it were, presents
this ransom to justice for the sin of bis soul ; and whenever
justice sees this ransom of the blood of Jesus in the hand of
faith, it assoilzies and acquits the soul from all law-penalties,
declaring that now there is no condemnation to that man, Rom.
viii. 1. Let none from henceforth " lay any thing to his
charge: for it is God that justifieth ; who then is he that
shall condemn 1 It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is
risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also

320 THE ASSURANCE OF FAITH, [SER.

maketh intercession." Thus, justice, instead of barring our
way to the holiest, becomes our friend, and casts open the
door of access to us : for God is just, when he is " the justi-
rier of them that believe in Jesus."

As for the holiness of God, that seems to stand as an insu-
perable bar in our way of entering into the holiest, by reason
of the blot, defilement, and pollution of sin, which renders us
utterly loathsome in the sight of the holy One of Israel. But,
glory to God in the highest, this bar is also removed by the
blood of Jesus ; for, that moment a sinner comes under the
covert of this blood, and draws near to God under this cover-
ing, he has his heart thereby " sprinkled from an evil con-
science, and his body washed with pure water." The same
moment that the righteousness of the second Adam is extend-
ed to us for justification, his Spirit enters into us for sanctifi-
cation, renewing us in the whole man, after the image of
God. And the blood of Jesus not only cancels the guilt of
sin, which made us obnoxious to the law and justice of God;
but it hides and covers the filth of sin, from the eyes of im-
maculate holiness. Yea, holiness is so much the sinner's
friend, in drawing near through the blood of Jesus, that this
attribute of the divine nature is pawned in the promise of ac-
ceptance made to Christ and his seed, Psal. lxxxix. 2, 35. On
which account I may exhort all true believers, in the words
of the psalmist, Psal. xxx. 4 : " Sing unto the Lord, O ye saints
of his, and give thanks at the remembrance of his holiness."
Thus then, I say, all impediments and bars on God's part,
that might hinder our access into the holiest, are removed by
the blood of Jesus : and therefore, lei us draw near with a true
heart, in full assurance of faith.

As for impediments on our part, they may be more par-
ticularly spoken to in the application. I shall only say at
the time, that the sum-total of them all amounts to this, that
we are simiers, and so wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and
naked, that we cannot think that ever God will receive or
welcome us. But at once to roll awa}' this impediment, let
it be considered, that this new and living way of access into
the holiest, is only calculated for sinners : " Christ calls not
the righteous," or innocent, " but sinners," to enter by him,
as the way to the Father. If you were not sinners, but
righteous, as Adam was before the fall, you would not need
to enter by the blood of Jesus. But seeing the way and door
to the holiest is just shaped and calculated for the sinner, let
not the sinner fear to enter by it into the presence of God ;
especially when he calls us, who are sinners, to draw near
with a true heart in full assurance of faith. " Faithful is he
that hath promised" acceptance in the beloved.

XI.] OPENED AND APPLIED. 321

CHAPTER VI.

Containing the Application of the preceding Doctrine.

I proceed now to wind up the whole of this discourse in
some practical improvement; which I shall endeavour to ma-
nage, as briefly as I can, in the few following inferences : —

Inf. 1. From what has been said, we may see that there is
a mystery in believing, which the world does not understand,
yea, which none can know, without " that Spirit which is of
God, whereby we know the things that are freely given to us of
God." The apostle, 1 Tim. iii. 9, speaks of the " mystery of
faith." And, indeed, every thing about it is a mystery. The
way of its production, or the manner in which it is wrought
in the soul, by the power of the eternal Spirit, is a mystery:
" Who can tell how the bones are formed in the womb of her
that is with child?" far less are we capable to account for
the way and manner of the Spirit's operation in forming and
creating us in Christ Jesus by faith. Hence is that saying of
Christ to Nicodemus, John iii. 8 : " The wind bloweth where
it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell
whence it cometh and whither it goeth : so is every one that
is born of the Spirit." How the Spirit of God drops into the
heart the incorruptible seed of his own word, and impreg-
nates it there, so as to turn it, though in itself but a dead let-
ter, into a living principle, purifying the heart, debasing self,
and carrying the soul directly into Christ for all, is a mystery
which we cannot comprehend or account for. And then the
object of faith is a great mystery. God, the ultimate object
of it, is an awful mystery : " Who can by searching, find him
out," either in his essence, operations, or manner of his exist-
ence, one in three, and three in one? Christ, the more imme-
diate object of faith, is a great mystery, an incarnate Deity:
" Without controversy, great is the mystery of godliness: God
was manifest in the flesh." The gospel covenant, by which
we believe in Christ, is a " mystery which hath been hid from
ages, and from generations, but now is made manifest to the
saints." And, lastly, the actings of faith upon its objects is a
great mystery; how the poor believer on earth can receive
Christ in heaven, at the right hand of God : how he applies
him as his own Saviour, his own Prophet, Priest, and King,
upon the indefinite grant that is made of him in the new co-
venant, where the man is neither designated byname or sur-
name : how faith makes use of Christ and his fulness, with as
great freedom as a man makes use of meat and drink that is

322 THE ASSURANCE OF FAITH, [SER.

set before him, on which account we are said to " eat the
flesh and drink the blood of the Son of man : how it puts on
the righteousness of Christ, and glories in the obedience of ano-
ther, as though the man had fulfilled the law in his own per-
son : how it draws forth the fulness of the Godhead, dwell-
ing bodily in Christ, and thus fills the soul with the "fulness
of God:" how it will take a bare word, dropping from God's
mouth, and " rejoice in it as one that findeth great spoils :"
how it will take this word, and draw near to him in the new
and living way, with full assurance of acceptance. These
things are mysteries which flesh and blood cannot reveal; and
yet to every true believer "it is given," in less or more, to
" know these mysteries of the kingdom."

Inf. 2. From this doctrine we may see the excellency of
the grace of faith. When it takes a view of the blood of Je-
sus, of the new and living way, and of the High Priest over the
house of God, it can draw near to the holiest with full assu-
rance of welcome. And it is not without warrant that faith
promises itself welcome from the Lord in its approaches to
him through Christ ; God has made the same, yea, a much
greater grant to the grace of faith, than Ahasuerus made to
Esther, chap. ix. 12: " What is thy petition 1 and it shall be
granted thee : or what is thy request ? and it shall be done."
Compare this with John xiv. 13, 14: " Whatsoever ye shall
ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glori-
fied in the Son. If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will
do it." So Mark xi. 24: "What things soever ye desire
when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall
have them." As Ahasuerus put a peculiar honour upon
Esther, and preferred her above all the maids in his kingdom ;
so God, the King of kings, stamps a peculiar honour and
excellency upon the grace of faith, preferring it above all the
other graces ; on which account it may say with Mary, Luke
i. 48 : " He hath regarded the low estate of his hand-maiden."
Though God be high, yet hath he a respect unto the lowly :
though he be the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity,
yet he dwells with the humble : he delights to choose, and put
honour upon the foolish, weak, base, and despised things of
this world ; yea, he chooses " things which are not, to bring
to naught things that are." Faith is the meanest and lowest,
the poorest and most beggarly of all the other graces ; for
all the other graces give something to God, whereas faith,
like a mere beggar, comes not to give any thing, but to get
and receive all : and yet God takes this beggar, and sets it
among princes, to allude to that expression, Psal. cxiii. 7, 8.
Such honour and preferment does God put upon this grace,
that though he has said, " He will not give his glory to an-

XI.] OPENED AND APPLIED. 323

other ;" yet so little jealousy has he of the grace of faith,
that he, as it were, sets it upon the throne with himself, as-
cribing things to it, which are proper and peculiar to himself
only ; he sets the jewels of his crown upon the head of faith.
The salvation of a lost sinner is God's prerogative ; he alone
is " the God of salvation, to whom belong the issues from
death ;" and yet we find this attributed to the grace of faith :
" Thy faith hath saved thee," says Christ ; go in peace. Jus-
tification is peculiar to God only. It is God that justi/ieth,
says the apostle ; and yet the same apostle ascribes the jus-
tification of a sinner to faith. "A man is justified by faith
without the deeds of the law." God alone is " the Lord of
life," who " kills, and makes alive ;" and yet life is ascribed
to faith, " The just shall live by his faith." Omnipotence is
God's peculiar prerogative ; he is " the Almighty ;" and yet
there is almightiness attributed to faith, "All things are pos-
sible to him that believeth. — If" we " have faith as a grain
of mustard-seed," we may "say unto this" and the other
" mountain, Be thou removed, and it shall be done." If we
read the 11th chapter of the Hebrews, we shall find things
ascribed to faith, which nothing but Omnipotence itself could
effect, such as the " stopping the mouths of lions, quenching
the violence of (ire, raising the dead," and the like. Now,
would you know why God thus attributes works and per-
fections to faith, which are proper to himself alone 1 The
plain reason is, because faith is such a low, mean, self-denied
grace, that it is just the genius and nature of it to exclude
self; yea, to exclude itself, to glory in the Lord alone, and to
give him the glory clue unto his name, saying, " Not unto us,
0 Lord, not unto us ; but unto thy name be the glory." Does
faith save us 1 Yes, it does : but then it turns the glory of
salvation over upon the author thereof; saying, " Our God
is the God of salvation." Docs the just man live by faith?
Yes ; but then faith steps in with " It is not I :" Gal. ii. 20 :
" I live ; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me." Does faith jus-
tify 1 Yes, it does : but then its language is, " Surely in the
Lord have I righteousness, in him" will 1 " be justified, and
in him" alone will I "glory." Can faith do every thing?
Yea, but it is by leaning on the arm of Omnipotence. " I
can do all things through Christ which strengthcneth me."
Thus, I say, faith arrogates and claims nothing to itself, but
" gives unto the Lord the glory due unto his name." And so
zealous is faith to have God alone exalted, particularly the
freedom of his grace in the justifictition and salvation of a
sinner, that, though believing be the highest and greatest act
of obedience that a person can yield to the moral law, yet,
that boasting may be for ever excluded, it excludes and shuts

324 THE ASSURANCE OF FAITH, [sER.

out itself from the rank and category of works, or acts of
obedience, Rom. iv. 5 : " To him that woi'keth not, but be-
lieveth in him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith" object-
ively considered, " is counted for righteousness." It is the
peculiar excellency of faith, that it sinks its own act, that its
blessed object, Christ, may be " all in all ; it rejoices in
Christ Jesus, and triumphs always in him." And though, as
I was saying, it be the poorest, lowest, and most beggarly of
all the other graces ; yet it is a grace that prides itself in the
Lord Jesus, and by his blood enters with boldness into the
holiest.

Inf. 3. If it be the will of God that we should draw near
with full assurance of faith ; hence I infer, that unbelief, whe-
ther reigning in the wicked, or remaining in the saints, cannot
shun to be most displeasing and offensive to him.

1. I say, reigning unbelief in the wicked is a flat contra-
diction to the will of God. The man under the power of
unbelief, instead of drawing near with the assurance of faith,
departs from him, through a distrust and jealousy of his
grace, power, and veracity. Solomon tells us, Prov. vi. 34 :
" Jealousy is the rage of a man." If we shall entertain and
express a jealousy or distrust of a man's veracity, it is enough
to exasperate and enrage him against us : why 1 when we
express a jealousy of him, we in effect call him a liar. And
if " man who is vanity, and the son of man who is a lie," reckon
it such an indignity to have their veracity or kindness called
in question ; how much more is it an indignity done to him,
for whom it is impossible to lie? O sirs ! unbelief offers the
most signal affront to a God of truth, that is possible for a
creature to do. God, as you were hearing, to encourage our
faith and confidence toward him, has given all the securities
which he could possibly grant ; yea, the most jealous heart
in the world could not ask better security from the most
treacherous person on earth, than God has granted in his
word : for though his bare word of promise be enough to
command faith from all mankind, yet, beside his word, he has
given his writ ; beside his writ, he has given his sacred oath ;
beside his oath, he has given a Surety ; beside a Surety, he
has appended solemn seals, and ratified all by the joint tes-
timony of the three that bear record in heaven, Father, Word,
and Spirit. Now, after all these securities, to entertain a
jealousy of him, as if he were not faithful to his promise of
welcome and acceptance in the beloved, what else is this but
to make him a liar ? Faithfulness and truth are " the girdle
of his loins and reins ;" but unbelief does its utmost to strip
him of his girdle, charging him with treachery and unfaith-
fulness. You would reckon it an imputation of a very high

XI.] OPENED AttD APPLIED. 825

and horrid nature, for any man to charge you with blas-
phemy against God ; and yet I will be bold to say, every un-
believer is a blasphemer of God. Why, can there be greater
blasphemy under heaven, than to make God a liar? It is in-
deed most certain, that God will be found true, and every
man a liar : but yet the unbeliever docs his utmost to make
him a liar, by refusing credit to his word. And, after all, is
it any wonder though a hol}T and jealous God be so enraged
against the sin of unbelief, as to declare, that " he who be-
lieveth not, is condemned already, and the wrath ,of God
abideth on him V ' Believe it, sirs, if you continue to blas-
pheme God by your unbelief here, you shall have time to
blaspheme him in hell with devils and damned spirits, through
the endless ages of eternity : John viii. 24 : " If ye believe not
that I am he, ye shall die in your sins." John xv. 22 : " If I
had not come, and spoken unto them, they had not had sin;
but now they have no cloak for their sin."

2. This doctrine not only condemns the reigning unbelief of
the greatest part of the hearers of the gospel, but also the re-
maining unbelief of believers themselves. God knows how
many unbelieving believers there are among us. There are
very few believers, but are guilty of ten, if not twenty acts
of unbelief, for one act of faith. O that I could shame even
believers out of their unbelief! I shall only say that your un-
belief is much more unaccountable and inexcusable than the
unbelief of other men: why? God has not only given you a
ground of faith, as he has given others, but he has given you
the grace of faith; and not to believe in that case, is a crime
of a most black and aggravated nature. If a child who is
sprung out of his parent's bowels, and who is the object of
his most endeared affection, should call his father that begat
him a liar, would not this give a more sensible wound to the
parent's heart, than if he had been so treated by any other
person? This is the very case with you, believers; God has
taken you into his family, given you the name of sons and
daughters, and he says to you in effect, as, Jer. iii. 4: " Wilt
thou not from henceforth cry unto me, My Father?" Wilt
thou not from henceforth draw near to me as a Father, and
as your Father in Christ with full assurance of faith? And
yet, after all, to call him a liar by your unbelief, and to say,
that " his promise fails for evermore," or that " he has for-
gotten to be gracious ;" O what a deep wound may you think
does this give unto the heart of your heavenly Father ! The
provocations of sons and daughters, particularly this provo-
cation of unbelief, touches him in the tenderest part.

You may readily ask, Wherein does the unbelief of belie-
vers discover itself? I answer,

vol. i. 28

326 THE ASSURANCE <fF FAITH, [SER.

1st, It discovers itself in their frequent pleading the cause
of unbelief, and that under the specious pretext of humility.
O, will the man say, it would be too great a thing for the
like of me to venture into the holiest ; it would be presumption
in me to draw near with full assurance of faith, asking peace
and pardon, grace and glory ; I dare not meddle with the
gift of God, or take hold of his covenant ; my fingers are too
foul to touch such holy things. Here indeed is a fair mask
and show of humility. But, sirs, It is nothing else than the
devil of unbelief wrapped up in Samuel's mantle ; it is a
pleading the cause of unbelief, and a refusing to obey the ex-
press command of God, under a pretence that you are not fit
enough for believing, that you want this and that and the other
qualification : and what is this but a taint of the old Adam,
a tincture of the covenant of works'? Whatever carnal reason
may imagine, true faith, though it be the boldest, yet it is
the most humble and self-emptying thing in the world; and
the more of the boldness and assurance of faith, always the
more humility. And the reason of this is plain, because faith
in its dealings with God, despises so much as to cast an eye
upon any grace or qualification in the soul itself, excepting it
be its emptiness, misery, poverty, &c, and builds its whole
confidence upon a ground without itself, namely, the noble
qualifications of the great High Priest over the house of God.

2dly, The unbelief of believers discovers itself in a faint,
languid, and timorous way of believing, as if the ground
they stand upon were not able to bear them. Much like a
man walking upon weak ice, though he ventures his weight
upon it, yet every moment he is afraid lest the ice break un-
derneath him, and leave him in the deep. Just so is it with
many believers ; they venture upon Christ, upon his i"ighte-
ousness, and upon the faithfulness of God pledged in the pro-
mise, with a kind of erphing, as though they would fail un-
derneath them, and leave them to perish for ever. And what
else is this but unbelief, or a secret distrusting of the sufficien-
cy of God's faithfulness, or of Christ's righteousness, to bear
up the soul in its eternal concerns !

Sdly, The unbelief of believers appears in their being too
much addicted to a way of living by sense. Sense, unless it
have the stock in its own hand, does not reckon the promise
of God worth a farthing ; but faith rejoices in the promise as
its subsistence even when sense is out of doors. The believer
who lives by sense will not believe the promise, or credit the
veracity of the Promiser, unless he be hired and bribed with
sensible consolations and manifestations; much like Thomas,
John xx. 25 : " Except I shall see in his hands the print of the
nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust

XI.] OPENED AND APPLIED. 327

my hand into his side, I will not believe." It is with many
believei's, as it is with some unskilful swimmers ; they will
venture into the deep waters if you will undertake to bear
their heads above, but not otherwise: but this is not true
swimming; true swimming is for a man to venture the weight
of his body into the water, and by the strength of the water,
and the waving of his hands and limbs, to bear himself up from
sinking.. So true believing is not for a man to trust God and
his promise only when he is borne up with sensible consola-
tions; but for a man to rest, stay, and bear up his soul upon
the bare promise of God, even when these props are with-
drawn : it is to " trust in the name of the Lord, and to stay
ourselves upon him as our God, when we walk in darkness,
and see no light."

Inf. 4. This doctrine serves to discover what is the strength
or stature of our faith; for the expression of the apostle in the
text, as was already hinted, plainly imports, that there are
believers of different sizes in God's family. Now, in en-
larging this inference, there are two or three practical cases
wThich I shall endeavour briefly to resolve.

1. What are the usual symptoms of a strong faith?

2. What are the usual attendants of a weak faith 1

3. How may the reality of faith be known, though it were
in the lowest or weakest degree ?

Quest. 1. What are the signs or evidences of a strong
faith?

Ans. 1. The more the legality of the heart is overcome,
the stronger is a man's faith. Every man is naturally
married to the law as a covenant ; and while there is any
thing of nature in the believer, he will find a stronsr bias in
his heart, turning him into the works of the law, as a ground
of acceptance before God. And O, how easily and insen-
sibly do our spirits glide into this old covenant-channel, ima-
gining that God accepts of us the better, on the score of our
inherent holiness, or external acts of obedience ! Now, I
say, the more that this bias of the heart is conquered, the
stronger is our faith. A vigorous and lively faith overlooks
all graces, duties, attainments, and experiences, as grounds
of acceptance ; and founds its confidence wholly upon the
blood of Jesus, the merit and mediation of the great high
priest over the house of God, by virtue of the covenant of
grace, and free promise of acceptance in him. The strong
believer casts out the bond-woman, and her seed of legal
works and doings, owning himself only a son of the free-wo-
man, an heir of the promise of grace and glory, through
Christ and his imputed righteousness. Upon this rock he
drops his anchor, upon this foundation he builds his hope,

328 THE ASSURANCE OF FAITH, [SER.

disclaiming his goodness as a thing that extends not to the
Lord, accounting his own righteousness, whether legal or
evangelical, before or after conversion, as " loss and dung,
that he may be found in Christ, having the righteousness
which is through the faith of Christ." He will not take so
much as a stone or little pinning of the works of the law, to
help up the new fabric of grace ; no, it shall be all grace from
top to bottom, and through every part of it, and grace reign-
in°- through imputed righteousness alone : Eph. ii. 8, 9 : " By-
grace are ye saved, through faith ; and that not of yourselves:
it is the gift of God : not of works, lest any man should
boast."

2. Strong faith will build its confidence, as to great mat-
ters, upon a naked word coming from the mouth of Christ,
even though sense and reason, yea, the ordinary course of
providence, be against it. This we see exemplified in the
case of Abraham, formerly mentioned, Rom. iv. Though
every thing seemed to make against him, yet " he staggered
not at the promise through unbelief, but was strong in faith,
giving glory to God." Yea, strong faith will catch at the
least hint of encouragement from the Lord, and build its as-
surance thereupon, as to the desired event : Matth. viii. 5 —
13, the centurion comes to Christ on behalf of his servant,
who was stricken with a palsy, and grievously tormented.
Christ answers, ver. 7, " I will come and heal him." Well,
the man's faith fixes upon this simple word of promise, and is
so much assured of the good-will, power, and faithfulness of
the Promiser, that he makes no more doubt of his servant's
recovery, thnn if it were already done, being persuaded, that
diseases' and distempers were as much at Christ's beck, and
much more, than his soldiers or servants were at his ; and
that Christ's word of command could as effectually heal at a
distance, as though he were present: upon which, verse 10,
we are told, that Jesus marvelled, saying, " I have not found
so great faith, no, not in Israel."

3. Strong faith is ordinarily attended with a firm and fixed
resolution to hang on the Lord, till it get the errand it comes
for: and no supposable discouragements shall make it quit
its grasp. Jacob was a strong believer, and, by the strength of
his faith, " he had power with God ; yea, he had power over
the angel, and prevailed." We read, Gen. xxxii. after along
night's wrestling, the Lord says to him, " Let me go, for the
day breaketh :" Jacob answers, " I will not let thee go, ex-
cept thou bless me." This one would think, looked like rude-
ness and ill manners in Jacob, to speak so to God : no, it was
not rudeness, but only the resolution of his faith. ' Lord,' might
Jacob say, 'if thou ask my leave to go, I can by no means

XI.] OPENED AND APPLIED. 329

yield to it ; let the clay break and pass on, let night come,
and the next day break again, lame Jacob, and the living
God, shall never part, till I get the blessing:' and his resolute
faith, like a prince, prevailed. O let all the true seed of Jacob
follow his example, and they "shall be fed with the heritage
of Jacob their father." The like instance we sec in the Syro-
phenician woman, Matth. xv. 22 — 28. Her faith breaks
through all discouragements, yea, improves seeming discou-
ragements as arguments to fortify her suit; whereupon Christ
at length answers, " O woman, great is thy faith." Strong
faith will rather die upon the spot, than quit its grasp : —
" Though he slay me," says Job, " yet will I trust in him."

4. Strong faith, though it may be troubled at the hiding of
the J.x>rd's countenance, yet it will not be cast down at every
cloud, as though the Lord had forgotten to be gracious: no,
it presently casts its eyes on the covenant, and reads love in
God's words, when it cannot see them in his looks ; saying
with the church, in Mic. vii. 8,9: "Though I sit in darkness,
the Lord will be a light unto me: — he will bring me forth to
the light, and I shall behold his righteousness." Why'? He
has said, and his word is sure, that " his goings forth are pre-
pared," or secured, " as the" outgoings of the morning-light,
Hos. vi. 3 ; and therefore I no more doubt of the Lord's re-
turn, than I doubt of the return of the sun in the morning,
when he sets out of sight in the evening. However dark
the night may be, yet the day will break, and the shadows will
fly away : " Weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh
in the morning." And, as strong faith keeps up the heart from
sinking under the clouds of desertion, temptation, and inward
trouble ; so it keeps the spirit of a man in an equal poise,
under all the vicissitudes of time, so that " he shall not be
afraid of evil tidings, his heart being fixed, trusting in the
Lord." Although the fig tree should not blossom, &c. yet will
he " rejoice in the Lord, and be glad in the God of his salva-
tion," Hab. iii. 17, 18. Heroic faith has the moon of this
world under its feet; it tramples upon all the changes of time,
saying with the apostle, u I have learned in whatsoever state
I am, therewith to be content," &c. However matters may
be situated in the conduct of providence, yet, a lively faith
can see that there are no changes in God's covenant, no change
of his love or purpose of grace.

5. The more fruitful a person is in the exercise of other
graCes, the stronger is his faith. You know the plenty and
bigness of the fruit of a tree, flows from the abundance of sap
and strength in the root: so here, faith is the radical grace,
the root upon which the other graces grow* and therefore,
the more that a person abounds in love, hope, repentance,

28*

330 THE ASSURANCE OF FAITH, [sER.

meekness, humility, and other graces, the more vigorous is his
faith: for as the tree strikes its roots into the ground, and
from thence draws and sends a digested nourishment through
the several branches, by which they are made to blossom
and bring forth ; so faith unites the soul to Christ, through the
word of grace, and fetches out sap and strength from that true
olive by which the soul is made to " revive as the corn, to
grow as the vine, and the scent and savour thereof to be as
the wine of Lebanon."

The second question was, What are the usual attendants of
a weak faith ? An answer to this question may easily be de-
duced from what has been already suggested in answer to
the former; a weak faith having the opposite symptoms of a
strong. However, beside what may be gathered this way, I
shall suggest the two particulars following : —

1. Frequent doubting, staggering, and wavering of the heart,
is a concomitant of weak faith. You know, there is a great
deal of smoke goes up from the fire, while it is weak, not
thoroughly broken up ; so the more of the smoke of unbe-
lieving doubts, fears, and jealousies, there is the less faith.
Hence doubting and believing are opposed; " Wherefore didst
thou doubt, O thou of little faith?" A staggering at the pro-
mise through unbelief is opposed to the strength of faith, Rom.
iv. 20. The word is borrowed from a man walking, whose
feet through weakness hit one another, which makes him alter
his pace, one step is quick, and another slow : so here, the
way of weak faith is not equal. Perhaps, under a sensible
enjoyment, he is this hour triumphing in his high places ; but
anon the enjoyment is withdrawn, and he alters his pace,
and staggers through unbelief, saying, " His promise fails for
evermore; he hath forgotten to be gracious."

2. The more hasty and impatient the soul is under delays,
the weaker is its faith. This I gather from Is. xxviii. 16::
" He that believeth shall not make haste." Weak faith is so
hasty, that it will allow'of no time to intervene betwixt the
petition and its answer, betwixt the promise and the accom-
plishment : If the answer do not come presently, the man is
ready to conclude, "The Lord doth not hear, neither doth
the God of Jacob regard." But now, strong faith makes the
soul to wait God's time and leisure, saying, " I will direct my
prayer unto thee, and will look up. I will look unto the
Lord : I will wait for the God of my salvation : my God will
hear me."

The third question was this, How may the truth and reality
of faith be known, though it be in the weakest and lowest
degree? I answer,

1.. True faith, even in the weakest measure, will look on

XI.] OPENED AND APPLIED. 331

sin as an enemy, though it perhaps dare not lay claim to
Christ as a friend. True faith is said to " purify the heart,"
Acts xv. 9. It is a living principle in the soul, which is al-
ways opposing the motions of indwelling corruption. Although
indeed, sometimes, through the prevalency of sin, it cannot be
discerned, more than the living spring at the bottom of the
well, when the waters are muddied; yet like the living spring,
it is always working out the mud and tilth, till the waters be
perfectly clear. Perhaps the soul is so far from perceiving
any real grace, any actual interest in Christ, that it can see
nothing but atheism, enmity, unbelief, ignorance, pride, and
such vermin of hell, crawling in every corner ; and yet at the
same time the living principle of faith at the bottom of the
heart will be working and wrestling against these, sometimes
by groans ; " Wretched man that I am, who shall deliver me'!"
sometimes by complaints, "Iniquities prevail against me:"
sometimes by looks to heaven for relief, " I know not what to
do, but mine eyes are upon thee :" sometimes by cries to heaven,
" I am oppressed, undertake for me :" sometimes by breathing
desires after more holiness, " Create in me a clean heart; Let
my heart be sound in thy statutes; O that my ways were di-
rected to keep thy statutes !" By such things, the truth and
reality of faith may be discovered, even in its weakest mea-
sure and degree.

2, True faith, though ever so weak, will have a high esti-
mate and valuation of Christ, and the habitual bent and bias
of the soul will be toward him, 1 Pet. ii. 7: " Unto you which
believe, he is precious." Is. xxvi. 8 : " The desire of our soul
is to thy name and to the remembrance of thee." Weak
faith, perhaps, dare not go the length of saying with the
spouse, " My beloved is mine, and I am his :" yet it will be
often saying, O that he were mine ! " O that thou wert as my
brother that sucked the breasts of my mother !" And if it
could get out its breath, it would even cry, " Abba, Father ;
My Lord, and my God :" but it is, as it were, suppressed and
smothered, when it would say so, with prevailing unbelief.
Where true faith is, there is a void, emptiness, and restlessness
of the soul, like the fish out of its element, or a bone out of
joint, till some view of Christ come, and then, indeed, it re-
turns unto its rest. I remember, after the creation of Adam,
God caused all the creatures to pass before him : but among
them all there was not found a help meet for him: there was
something disagreeable and unsatisfying in all the inferior
creatures; so that though he had them all at his command,
yet still man was in a solitary condition, Gen. ii. 20. But so
soon as ever the woman was presented to him, he says, ver.
23, " This is now bone of my bone, and flesh of my flesh ;"

332 THE ASSURANCE OF FAITH, [SER.

this indeed is a help meet for me. Just so is it with the soul
in whom there is a principle of true faith : present riches, pro-
fits, pleasures, and all worldly contentments to him, he still
finds something unsuitable and unsavoury in them all ; but let
Christ be revealed to him, immediately he cries out, O this is
a help meet for me indeed! Is. xi. 10: "To him shall the
Gentiles seek, for his rest is glorious." Psal. lxxiii. 25: "Whom
have I in heaven but thee? and there is none upon earth that
I desire besides thee."

3. True faith, though in the lowest degree, will not rest
there, but breathes after higher degrees of faith. Set the
highest degree of faith before a weak believer, tell him of the
faith of Abraham, how he believed without staggering; the
man will indeed be humbled under a sense of his short-com-
ings, and lament his own unbelief; yet, at the same time, he
will find a breathing, and eager desire in his soul to win such
a length of believing. Thus, like Paul, he " forgets those
things which are behind, and reacheth forth unto those things
which are before," &c. When the weak believer hears of
the full assurance of faith, his language is, "Lord, help my
unbelief; Lord, increase my faith." I might tell you of many
other evidences of faith in its truth and reality, though weak,
as, that it works by love ; it empties the soul, and humbles it ;
though the man cannot see himself great in God's eyes, yet
he sees himself nothing in his own eyes ; as he values Christ
highly, so he values himself less than the least of all God's
mercies. But I do not insist.

Inf. 5. Is it the will of God that we should draw near to
him in Christ, with full assurance of faith ? then let us study
to do the will of God in this matter. Seeing the door of the
holiest is open, the " way consecrated for us," and the " High
Priest entered within the veil ; let us draw near with a' true
heart, in full assurance of faith." I exhort you not only to
" believe," but to be "strong in the faith." Study to have a
faith proportioned, in some measure, to the grounds of faith
already mentioned.

But here a question will readily be moved, Is it the duty
of all the hearers of the gospel, at first to believe after this
manner, or to draw near with a full assurance of faith? For
answer,

1. I grant, that the first approaches of a sinner to God in
Christ by faith, are for the most part weak and feeble, at-
tended with much fear and trembling, through the preva-
lence and strength of unbelief, a sense of utter unworthiness,
and awful impressions of the glorious majesty of God ; all
which readily makes him, with the publican, to "stand afar
off, smiting on his breast, crying, God be merciful to me a sin-
ner." But yet,

XI.] OPENED AND APPLIED. 333

2. I affirm, that there is a sufficient ground laid, in the gos-
pel revelation and promise, for a sinner, even in his first ap-
proach to God in Christ, to come with full assurance of faith.
This will evidently appear, if we consider, that by the glori-
ous gospel, a wide door of access is cast open to all without
exception ; all grounds of unbelief and distrust are removed,
every bar and impediment which might make them to halt
and hesitate is rolled away. This is given in commission to
ministers, to " prepare the way of the people, to cast up, cast
up the high-way, to gather out the stones, and lift up a stand-
ard for the people," Is. lxii. 10. When we call sinners to be-
lieve, we do not call them to come with a weak faith, or with
a doubting, disputing faith ; but we invite and call them to
come with assurance of acceptance and welcome, grounded
upon his infallible word of promise; "Him that cometh to
me, I will in no wise cast out."

3. I find the Lord directing sinners, even in their first ap-
proaches, to draw near to him in Christ, with full assurance
of faith, Jer. iii. 19 : " But I said, How shall I put thee among
the children, and give thee a pleasant land, a goodly heritage
of the hosts of nations?" Here is a very puzzling question,
such as none can answer but God himself. Well, but what
is the answer which the Lord puts in the sinner's mouth ?
"Thou shalt call me, My Father, and shalt not turn away
from me." The first breath of the Spirit of adoption is, Abba,
Father, Rom. viii. 15; a word of faith or confidence. Christ
puts words of assurance in our mouths, teaching us, when we
pray, to say, " Our Father which art in heaven." And every
one apart is to say, " My Father which art in heaven," &c.
Agreeably to which is the direction given, Jam. i. 6. We
are told, verse 5, that "if any man" (be he a saint, or a sin-
ner) " lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all
men liberally, and upbraideth not ; and it shall be-given him."
Well, here is noble encouragement to all ; but they who
would speed well, are ordered to come in the full assurance
of faith, verse 6 : " But then let him ask in faith, nothing wa-
vering," &c.

4. I find sinners in their first approaches, sometimes prac-
tising this direction, and coming with words of assurance, Jer.
iii. 22, says the Lord, " Return, ye backsliding children, and
I will heal your backslidings." And what is the first echo of
faith to this call? '' Behold, we come unto thee, for thou art
the Lord our God." So Zech. xiii. 0 ; "I will say, It is my
people ;" there is the word of grace, and ground of faith :
and the language of faith, correspondent to it, immediately
follows; "They shall say, the Lord is my God." Is. xlv.
24 : " Surely shall one say, In the Lord have I righteousness

334 THE ASSURANCE OF FAITH, [SER.

and strength." Besides all this, none, I think, can doubt,
but it is the sinner's duty, at first, in obedience to the first
commandment, to know and acknowledge the Lord as God,
and as our God ; and how this can be done but by believing,
I cannot tell.

Well, then, seeing there is such a door of faith opened to
sinners in the gospel, let sinners enter in with boldness, and
be saved : John x. 9 : "I am the door," says Christ : " by me
if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and
out, and find pasture."

Object. I. May the sinner say, How shall I venture to draw
near with assurance of acceptance? I have such a burden of
sin and guilt lying upon me, and it has such a prevalency and
ascendant over me, that my confidence is quite marred: for
my part, I may well say with David, Psal. xl. 12, "Innume-
rable evils have compassed me about, mine iniquities have
taken hold upon me, so that I am not able to look up: they
are more than the hairs of mine head, therefore my heart
faileth me." To this I answer, (1.) By way of concession
that it is indeed impossible for a person living in the love and
practice of sin, to draw near to God with the confidence of
faith ; for in the very act of drawing near, the heart is puri-
Jied by faith, in the blood of Jesus ; or, as it is expressed in the
latter clause of the text, he has his " heart sprinkled from an
evil conscience, and his body washed with pure water." In
believing we " cease to do evil, and learn to do well." Faith,
apprehending the mercy of God in Christ, turns the soul from
sin to God. So that it is as impossible for a person to draw
near to God with the confidence of faith, while he lives in
the love and practice of sin, as it is for a person to come to
you, and go from you, at the same instant of time. While
the heart is in league with sin, it is departing from the Lord:
how then in this case can the sinner draw near to God ? far
less can he draw near with assurance of acceptance. There
is a great difference betwixt iniquity prevailing in the heart,
and iniquity regarded in the heart. In the last case, a person
cannot draw near with acceptance: Psal. lxvi. 18: " If I re-
gard iniquity in my heart : the Lord will not hear me." As
if he had said, If I love it, or give it kindly harbour in my
heart, God will not accept of me, or my prayers ; because in
that case he could not draw near with a true heart, which is
an inseparable concomitant of the assurance of faith. But in
the former case, namely, of prevailing iniquity, it is not only
possible, but actually precedented, for a person to draw near
with the full assurance of faith ; as we see in the instance of
David, Psal. lxv. 3 : " Iniquities," says he, " prevail against
me." But what follows '( " As for our trangressions, thou shalt

XI.] OPENED AND APPLIED. 335

purge them away." Now, this being the case pointed at in
the objection, it ought to be no prejudice or hinderance to
your drawing near to the holiest by the blood of Jesus, with
full assurance of faith, seeing he is faithful who hath promised
acceptance in the beloved. (2.) Whereas, O sinner, thou
complainest of a burden of sin and guilt lying upon thee,
which mars thy confidence ; I only ask, For whom thinkest
thou, was the way to the holiest opened by the blood of Je-
sus ? was it for the righteous, or for guilty sinners? An in-
nocent or holy person needs no such way of access: it is only
calculated and shapen for the guilty criminal and transgres-
sor, such as thou art; and "though thy sins be as scarlet,
they shall be as white as snow ; though they be red like crim-
son, they shall be as wool," that moment thou enterest in by
the blood of Jesus : and therefore, let us draw near with a true
heart, in full assurance of faith. Whither can a guilty sinner
go, but to the Lord pardoning iniquity, transgression and sin?
Whither can a polluted sinner go, save to the fountain opened
for sin and uncleanness? (3.) The boldness and assurance of
faith is not only consistent, but is always accompanied with a
soul-abasing sense of utter unworthiness, because of the guilt,
and filth, and power of sin. And the reason of this is plain,
because, in believing, the man, through an uptaking of sin
and guilt, is carried out of himself to seek his standing and
the ground of his confidence in another, even in Christ, and
the mercy of God in him. So David, Psal. exxx. 3, 4 : " If
thou, Lord, shouldst mark iniquities, O Lord, who shall stand ?
But there is forgiveness with thee, that thou mayest be feared,"
&c. And therefore, let a sense of sin, in its guilt and preva-
lence, carry thee out of thyself, to draw near, by the blood of
Jesus, with full assurance of faith. It was a preposterous way
of reasoning in Peter, to say, "Lord, depart from me, for I
am a sinful man." He should rather have said, 'Lord, come
to me, for I am a sinful man ;' for where can a sinner be bet-
ter than with the Saviour of sinners?

Object. 2. You call us to draw near with the assurance of
faith ; but, alas ! how can I do this, seeing I am in the dark
about my interest in Christ? If I knew that I had peace with
God, my sin pardoned, my person accepted, and that 1 were
in a state of grace and favour, in that case I could draw near
with confidence indeed. But the case is quite otherwise:
clouds and darkness are round about me; I doubt if ever
God dealt with my heart effectually by his grace: How,
then, can I draw near with the confidence of faith? Answ.
If you never draw near to God with the assurance of faith,
till you come to a sensible assurance of your interest in
Christ, and of your being in a state of grace, you will never

336 THE ASSURANCE OP FAITH, [SER.

draw near to him in your life : and the reason of this is,
because a sensible assurance of an interest in Christ, is the
fruit and effect of the soul's drawing near by faith ; and the
effect can never go before its cause. The way to come at
that assurance of a state of grace, is to draw near with the
assurance of faith, grounded, not upon any gracious work
within you, but upon the gracious promise of God in his
word, and the mediation of the great High Priest over the
house of God: Heb. iv. 14, 10: "Seeing we have a great
High Priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus, the Son of
God, — let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace,"
&c. Faith (as I said just now) still seeks a ground of confi-
dence, not in grace received, or any thing within the man,
but only in Christ, and the gracious promise of acceptance
through him ; and therefore, the best way in the world to
rise above all these doubts, fears, and perplexities respecting
your gracious state, is, by a direct act of faith, to go to God
by the new and living way, assuring and persuading your
own souls, that a God of grace and love " hates putting
away," Is. I. 10. He that " walketh in darkness, and hath
no light," what course is he to take? "Let him trust in the
name of the Lord, and stay himself upon his God:" where,
by the name of the Lord, we are to understand the grace and
mercy, power and faithfulness, of God, pledged in the pro-
mises of the covenant. Here we are to cast anchor; upon these
we are to build the confidence and assurance of faith, when
we have nothing to look or trust to. Faith, both in its first
act, and in its after-actings, fastens upon this name of the
Lord: when at first it fetches the soul out of the darkness of
a natural state, and when afterwards, by its renewed actings,
it brings the soul from under the dark and black clouds of
desertion, temptation, and despondency, it still trusts in the
name of God, as it is set in Christ, and set forth in the cove-
nant, particularly in the absolute promises of it. And there-
fore, though indeed, in the duty of self-examination, we are
to look inward for the marks and evidences of grace, in order
to our arriving at an assurance of sense : yet, in the duty of
believing, and in order to our coming at the assurance of faith,
we must look wholly outward to the promise, and the name
of God pledged therein. Thus did Abraham, the father of
the faithful, Rom. iv. 20, 21 ; and so must we, if we would be
the true seed of Abraham.

Object. 3. You call sinners to believe, and to believe with
an assured faith: But to what purpose is all this? may one
say: faith is " the gift of God," the work of his Spirit ; I have
no power to believe, till God work it in me ; and therefore
all this labour, in persuading us to believe, might be spared.

XI.] OPENED AND APPLIED. 337

I answer, Your own inability to believe, by any strength or
power of yours, is so far from being an argument against.
that it is one of the strongest arguments why you should be-
lieve : for when we call you to believe, we do not call you to
work or do any thing by your own power ; but, because you
have no power, to trust in the doings and strength of another,
who, as he has wrought all your xvovks for you, so he engages
himself by promise, to work all j7our works " in you ;" and
particularly, being " the Author and Finisher of faith," is ready
and willing to "fulfil in you all the good pleasure of his good-
ness, and the work of faith with power." Every creature
answers its name ; and will God be wanting to answer his '.
No, surely; the name that he takes to himself is declarative
of his nature : and therefore, since he has taken this name to
himself, of being the " Author of Faith," and the " Finisher "
thereof, we may, with the greatest assurance of faith, " trust
in this name of the Lord," that he will both begin the good
work, and carry it on to the day of the Lord Jesus. And
this very committing of the work of faith to him, from a sense
of your own inability, is that believing which we urge and
call you to. Faith is a grace which just springs out of the
ruin of all self-sufficiency and excellency; finding neither right-
eousness nor strength within, it looks abroad, and cries, " Sure-
ly in the Lord have I righteousness and strength."

Unbelief and carnal reason are ready to argue, Because
God by his Spirit must do all, therefore we will sit still and
do nothing. But the Spirit of God, whose reasonings I am
sure are infinitely better, argues after a quite different man-
ner, Phil. ii. 12, 13 : " Work out your own salvation with fear
and trembling ; for it is God which worketh in you both to
will and to do of his good pleasure." O what glorious en-
couragement is here for a poor impotent sinner to essay and
endeavour at believing ! Here is the arm of Omnipotence,
reaching forth for thy help and through-bearing in the wTork
he calls thee to. Up, therefore, and be doing ; for " thy God
commands thy strength;" and therefore let him be " the glorv
of thv strength."

But, say you, seeing we cannot work the work of faith,
why does he yet command it? Is it not a hardship to require
of us what we have no ability to do? Answ. Why do you
send your little children to school with the A, B, C, in their
hands, before they can read one letter? You do not think
it a hardship to put the book in their hand, and bid them
read, though they know not a letter, because you offer to
teach them yourself, or by another in your place. So here,
we are commanded to " work the work of God ;" which is
to " believe on him whom he hath sent ;" which vet is no

vol. i. 29

338 THE ASSURANCE OF FAITH, [sER.

hardship, notwithstanding of utter inability for it in ourselves ;
because, at the same time that he commands believing, he
tells us, for our encouragement, that he himself is the Author
of faith, and is ready to work in us both to will and to do.
If a master should command a servant to poise or lift a bur-
den which he is not able to move, or to work a turn which
he has no skill to manage ; it might indeed discourage the
servant from attempting it, if he were required to do it by his
own strength or skill; but when the master tells him, I will
assist, I will direct, I will do all, only put to thy hand, what
servant would refuse or decline the service in this case? or
if he should, do you not think he would deserve to be beaten
with many stripes'? The application is obvious: It is God's
ordinary way to come and join with the poor soul, and enable
it to believe, while, in obedience to his command, it is endea-
vouring to believe in Christ. Like a kind master of a school,
when the child, in obedience to him, takes the pen in his hand,
and scribbles the best way he can, the master takes his hand
in his, and leads and learns him to write : so, when we take,
as it were, the pen in our hand, and offer to write, at his com-
mand, he takes our hand in his, directing, strengthening, and
enabling us to believe: so that, if there be but a willing mind
to this work, it is accepted : where he gives to will, he will
also give to do, of his good pleasure ; these two are insepa-
rably connected in the order of God's covenant.

But you may still object, All the endeavours of a natural
man are still but natural and sinful actions; and will ever
God concur by his almighty power with the acts or endea-
vours of nature. Answ. Akhough God be not obliged to
concur with the endeavours of nature ; yet, such is his grace,
love, and good-will, towards man upon earth, such is the
strength of his desire after our salvation, such pleasure has
he in a sinner's believing, such a regard has he to what he
himself has commanded, that we find him many times actual-
ly concurring with the poor helpless sinner, in his impotent
efforts at obedience to what he calls for. It was no gracious
principle that moved Naaman the Syrian to go wash in the
waters of Jordan ; yet, because he did what was commanded,
God was pleased to concur with the mean of his own ap-
pointment, and cured his leprous body, and, for aught I know,
his soul also. Let us believe as we can, in obedience to God's
command, and, in dependence upon his almighty power ; and
while we are doing so, although the act be at the beginning
but natural, yet, in the very acting, promised and purchased
grace strikes in, and turns it into a supernatural act of be-
lieving. As when Christ was about to work that famous
miracle at Cana, in Galilee, he does not first turn the water

XI.] OPENED AND APPLIED. 339

into wine ; but he first bids them pour out the water, and, in
pouring of it out, the water was changed into wine : so the
loaves were multiplied, while the disciples, in obedience to
the command of Christ, were dividing them among the mul-
titude. Just so here, while the poor soul, in a subordination
to the divine power, and, in obedience to the divine command,
is attempting to believe, a God of grace changes the attempt
into a true genuine faith; so that the soul, through the
mighty power of God, ere ever it is aware, is brought really
to believe, and that in a way it knows not how: for "the
wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound
thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it
goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit."

Thus, I say, in the very acting of faith we are enabled to
act it; when we take the pen in our hand, God takes us by
the hand, and writes for us, leading us in the " way we know
not." It is with us in believing, many times, as in praying.
The man goes to prayer with his heart as cold as the ice,
and as hard as the nether millstone; he cannot open his
mouth before the Lord; his tongue is tacked, his heart is locked
up: but yet, while the poor soul is striving to pour out its
heart into God's bosom, the Spirit of the Lord falls on him,
even the Spirit of grace and supplication, by which his bonds
are loosed, and his soul made like the chariots of Ammina-
dib. So, while the poor soul is striving at believing, the
Spirit of faith comes and concurs with it, exerting that ex-
ceeding great and mighty power which raised Christ from
the deadly which he comes to be " filled with joy and peace
in believing."

Perhaps you may say, ' You urge us much to essay be-
lieving; but pray give us your best advice how to manage in
this matter.' O that the Spirit of God may eoncur ! There
are these two or three things I offer, by way of advice, to you
who are in good earnest; and, O! what man is there, that
has a soul to be saved, aud who looks forward to a vast eter-
nity of well or wo, that should not be in good earnest as to
this matter!

1. My first advice, then, is this, Study to have your hearts
well stored with all these considerations, which are fit fuel
and matter by which faith is generated, or begotten, in the
hearts of sinners. Although the act of saving faith be the
effect of the divine power and grace; yet it is in the power
of nature, by a common concourse, to stock and store the
mind with these things which are the seed of faith. The hus-
bandman, though he cannot make one grain of corn grow,
yet he can plough and sow his ground ; and when he has done
his part, he leaves the seed under the clod, and looks up to

340 THE ASSURANCE OF FAITH, [SER.

heaven for the waterings of the earlier and latter rains; and
accordingly, God ordinarily crowns his endeavours with suc-
cess, making the heavens to hear the earth, and the earth to
hear the corn, whereby it brings forth ten, twenty, or a hun-
dred fold. So here, let us do what is incumbent on us, and
what we have power in an ordinary way to -do; let us sow
the seeds, I mean, let us store our minds with the pure and
precious truths of God, and acquaint ourselves with these
things which are to be believed, as they are laid before us in
the holy oracles of the scriptures of truth ; and having thus
laid in the seed into the ground or soil of our hearts, let us
look heavenward, and wait for a shower of the Spirit's in-
fluences, according to that word of grace or promise, Isa.
xliv. 3: "I will pour water upon him that is thirsty, and
floods upon the dry ground." You know, they that offered
sacrifices of old, though they could not make fire come down
from heaven to consume their sacrifices; yet they could fetch
the bullock out of the stall, or the lamb out of the fold; they
coukl bring it to the altar, and bind it with cords to the
horns of the altar ; they could gather their sticks, and lay in
proper fuel ; and having done their part, they looked up to
heaven for the celestial fire to set all on a flame together.
In like manner, I say, do what is incumbent on you ; gather
your sticks, lay in the proper fuel of faith, store your minds
with the materials of believing, which you are daily reading
or hearing in the word. Study to impress your souls with
the doctrines of your lost estate in the first Adam, and the
way of your salvation by grace, in and through the second
Adam, Jesus Christ. Think upon the near approach that
the high and lofty One has made to us in the person of his
eternal Son, by his manifestation in our nature, when he
passed by the nature of angels. O think on the excellency
of his person, as he is Immanuel, God-man, God with us,
God on our side, to bruise the head of the old serpent, who
had spoiled and ruined us. Think upon his suretyship and
substitution in our room; how he was " made sin for us, that
we might be made the righteousness of God in him;" how he
was " made a curse for us, that we might be redeemed from
the curse;" how he was "delivered for our offences, and
raised again for our justification." Think upon the fulness
of grace and truth, of merit and Spirit, that is in him; and
how all that fulness of grace that is laid up in -him, is laid out
to us in a covenant of grace and promise, and that promise
or covenant left to us, and put in our hands, and we required
to take hold of it, to make use of it in a way of believing.
These are some of the materials of faith ; faith comes by
hearing of these things, and by thinking and meditating upon

XI.] OPENED AND APrLIED. 341

them: " By these things do men live; and in all these things
is the life of our spirits," Isa. xxxviii. 16. And, therefore, re-
* volve them in your minds, roll them like a sweet morsel un-
der your tongues, think and think again upon them, and, in
thinking, present them to your understanding, as things in
which your eternal state is concerned. You have as good
ground to expect the concurring power of the Spirit of faith
in this way and rriethod, to fulfil in you the work of faith
with power, as ever they of old had to look for the celestial
fire to come down and consume their sacrifices, as a testimony
of the divine acceptance, when they had, according to the
command of God, done what was incumbent on them, in
preparing their materials.

2. Another advice I give you is this: Study not only to
gather these materials of faith, but to be fully persuaded of
the truth and certainty of every thing that God has revealed
in his word, especially of those things which relate more im-
mediately to the mystery of salvation through Christ. We
must needs believe the report of the gospel, and set our seal
to the record of God, in his word. Particularly, be fully
persuaded that you are bankrupt, ruined, and lost, to all in-
tents and purposes, by the breach of the first covenant, being
under the wrath of God, the curse of the law, and the power
of Satan ; and that you have no more power to relieve your-
selves out of this miserable condition, than the new-born in-
fant cast out into the open field, Ezek. xvi. And in digging
into the rock whence you were hewn, be not afraid to go to
the bottom, I mean, to know the worst of yourselves; for true
faith springs out of the ruin of self. Despair and self-loathing
make way for a suitable prizing and improving of the blessed
remedy. Want of necessaries at home obliges men to go
abroad, either to beg or buy where they may have them.
The denial of self, in point of righteousness and strength.
lands the soul in Christ, saying, " Surely in the Lord have I
righteousness and strength." Again, study to be fully assured,
that there is no help or relief for you out of your lost condi-
tion, but only by faith's acceptance and application of Christ,
upon the warrant of God's word of grace ; there is no coming
to the Father but by him, no other name whereby men can
be saved; every other door of access is barred and con-
demned since the fall. Be convinced of Christ's ability and
sufficiency to save you from sin, and all its dismal train of
miseries: be is a mighty Redeemer, on whom God has laid
our help, able to save to the very uttermost. Be persuaded,
that he is a Saviour every way calculated and suited to thy
necessity ; being made of God unto us, wisdom, rightcousnesst
sanctification, and redemption; and that his office as a So*

22*

342 THE ASSURANCE OF FAITH, [sER.

viour, as well as his own promise, obliges him to save every
one that comes to him in a way of believing : that everlasting
life is yours, and you actually have it, that moment you re-
ceive him as the free gift of God ; " he that hath the Son
hath life:" that there is no condition or qualification, no work
or duty, required in the word of God, in order to procure a
right and title to eternal life; but that you are to come in
upon Christ's title, who is the righteous heir, and who has
made a disposition or assignment of his right to us in his testa-
ment, without any clogs or conditions. And if you venture
to make your works, duties, or any good thing in you, the
condition of Christ's latter-will, you alter the will of the dead;
you in effect destroy the freedom of a covenant of grace, and
build up a partition-wall between Christ and you, which you
.shall never be able to climb over.

3. Another advice I give you, is this, Believe that it is}'our
duty to believe, in obedience to the express command of God,
with an eye to his promised Spirit. First view the grounds
that your faith has to go upon, already spoken to ; and then
cast your eye upon the divine command and call, warranting,
encouraging, and requiring, you to ventureupon these grounds;
and so long as these are kept in view, there is no fear of pre-
sumption ; how can it be presumption to obey the express
command of Heaven? yea, the greatest command that ever
was issued out to man from the throne of glory above, 1 John
iii. S3. He speaks as if there were no other command in the
word of God ; because we fulfil the whole law as a covenant,
in the very first act of believing, by renouncing our own, and
submitting to the law-abiding and law-magnifying righteous-
ness of the Son of God ; and thereby our personal obedience
also to the law as a rule, is set upon such a footing as to be
" accepted in the beloved," for let us do what we will, we
shall never please God, or be accepted of him, till we believe
in the name of his Son, Heb. xi. 6. And therefore I say
again, strive at believing, in obedience to the command of God.
It is as much your duty to believe, as to obey any command
of the moral law ; and disobedience to this command of be-
lieving, will damn you eternally, yea, do it more effectually
than murder, adultery, theft, or any other breach of the law
that I can name. Pray tell me, sirs, why do you ever bow a
knee, or open a mouth to God, in prayer? Do you set about
this duty, because you have power and strength in yourself to
pierce heaven by your prayers, or to order your cause before
God? No, surely, but because God has commanded you to
call upon him, therefore, powerless as you are, though you
know not how to pray, or what to pray for, yet you essay it.
J\Tow, why do you not the same in the case of believing, as in

XI.] OPENED AND APPLIED. 343

praying, since the one is commanded as well as the other 1
for I say, you have as little power in yourselves to pray aright
as to believe aright. There are many who, as I was saying
before, shift off the great duly of believing from day to day,
under this pretext, that they want power to believe. But
this is an objection that militates against all duties, as well as
that of believing. We are not sufficient of ourselves to think
any thing as of ourselves, as the apostle assures us; but will
you, for this reason desist from any essay to think upon what
is good and benficial to your souls? No; we try meditation,
we endeavour to think on what is good, and, in musing the
fire burns: God comes in with the breathings of his Spirit,
and then our meditations of him are sweet, and we are glad
in the Lord. So, while the soul, from a sense of its lost state,
is trying to roll and rest itself on Christ, in obedience to the
command of God, God comes in with his Spirit of faith, and
tills us with joy find peace in believing.

4. Although you should not find any sensible concurrence
of the power of God coming along with your endeavours at
obedience to the command of believing, yet give it not over,
but still continue the attempt: "Wait on the Lord : be of
good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart : wait, I
say, on the Lord." Object. I have often attempted to believe,
but yet I am as far from it as ever; the power of God does
not come along; and therefore I may quite give it over. For
answer, 1 refer you to a word, Heb. x. 36, 37 : " Ye have need
of patience ; that after ye have done the will of God, ye might
receive the promise. For yet a little while, and he that shall
come wili come, and will not tarry." In trying to act faith in
obedience to the divine command ye have need of patience;
for "he that believcth doth not make haste." You must re-
solve to believe, and wait, and wait, and believe, and never
give it over: and when you have done the will of God in this
matter, as you can, you must hold on with them that have
clean hands, even though you find no sensible influence con-
curring ; for it is the command of God in his word, and not
the influence of the Spirit, that is the rule and measure of
your duty. And if you continue doing the will of God in
this matter, with an eye to him who is the author and finisher
of faith, you may assure yourselves, that " in a little while, he
that shall come will come, and will not tarry." It is the " will
of God," and the " work of God," at which thou art aiming,
even to" believe in him whom he hath sent;" and will not a
God of grace and love, with " whom compassions flow," put
his hand to his own work, and help a poor creature to do
what is his own will'? yea, surely, thou mayst be "confident of

344 THE ASSURANCE OF FAITH, [SER.

this very thing," when he has passed his word for it, that he
will " work in thee, both to will and to do of his own good
pleasure." There is nothing in all the world so pleasing to
God^as to see a poor soul aiming to close with, and accept of
his Christ : he is, as it were, pained at the heart, when sinners
are backward to believe in his Son; and will he not then be
forward to help a poor soul that is aiming at it? You know,
an indulgent mother, when her breasts are full and swelled
with milk, will be ready, not only to draw out her breast, but
to help her poor infant toward it, when in want of milk or
trying to suck. Has a mother such compassion toward her
sucking child ; and is there not infinitely more compassion with
the Father of mercies, toward a poor soul that is trying to
suck the full breasts of his grace and mercy drawn out to all
in a gospel dispensation? He whose bowels are sending out a
sound after sinners in the gospel call, will not be wanting to
lend his helping hand to enable you to believe; and therefore
say with David, Psal. xlii. 5, " Hope thou in God, for I shall
yet praise him for the help of his countenance."

Object. I have tried believing so long and so often, that I
am quite wearied, my strength is gone, and yet no power
from above ; what shall I do? God takes no notice of me.
Answ. Is. xl. 27, 28, &c. "Why sayest thou, O Jacob, and
speakest, O Israel, My way is hid from the Lord, and my
judgment is passed over from my God ? Hast thou not known?
hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the Lord, the
Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary?
there is no searching of his understanding. He giveth power
to the faint; and to them that have no might, he increaseth
strength." Thou imaginest that God's helping hand is with-
drawn, and that he takes no notice of thy endeavours to be-
lieve. But why sayest thou so? He is nearer than thou ap-
prehendest: Behold he standeth behind our wall, ready to
give grace, and mercy to help in time of need, ready to give
powrer to the faint, and strength to them that have no might :
and power from on high to believe is nearest, when we are
most carried out of ourselves in point of strength and sufficien-
cy. And therefore give it not over: " Wait, I say, on the Lord ;
for they that wait upon him shall renew their strength." It
is only the weak man that will lean to the help of another :
now, faith is leaning on Christ when we cannot stand alone,
Cant. viii. 5: " Who is this that comcth up from the wilder-
ness, leaning upon her beloved?" It is only the wearied man
that will sit down and rest : now, faith is the soul's resting in
or upon Christ, Psal. xxxvii. 7 : " ttest in the Lord, and wait
patiently for him." Heb. iv. 3 : " We which have believed do

XI.] OPENED AND APPLIED. 345

enter into rest." When a man can do nothing else, when he
is so feeble that he cannot put his hand to a turn, yet he can
rest: so here, because thou art weak, and without strength
for any work of the law, therefore the Lord calls (hee to rest
thy weary, sinking soul upon the Lord Jesus, on whom he has
laid thy help. And therefore let thy weakness encourage thee
to revive, instead of discouraging thee.

But now, I come to offer a word of exhortation to those
whose hearts fall in with the foregoing exhortation. "Do ye
now believe," though in the weakest degree ? Let me ex-
hort you not to rest in a low measure of faith, but press
after the highest degree of it. Forget things behind, reach
forth unto things that are before ; believe better than ye have
yet done. Go on from faith to faith, and thus learn to drazv
near zcilh a true heart, in full assurance of faith: and thus
you shall be the children of faithful Abraham, who " stag-
gered not at the promise through unbelief; but was strong in
faith, giving glory to God ; being fully persuaded, that what
he had promised, he was able also to perform." You see what
was the ground of Abraham's faith, by which he believed
without staggering ; it was nothing else than the promise of
life and salvation, through a Messiah to come. Well, you
have the very same ground of faith laid before you, with a
far greater advantage now under the New Testament ; name-
ly, the promise of acceptance, peace, pardon, grace and glory,
through a Messiah who is already come, and finished the work
which the Father gave him to do; and therefore believe with-
out staggering, as he did.

That I may quicken you to press after a higher measure of
faith, I offer the following considerations : —

1. Little faith is not easily discerned ; it is but like a grain
of mustard seed lying in the ground, which one can scarce
distinguish from the dust which lies under his feet ; and when
faith is not discerned, God loses the glory of his own grace,
and you also lose the comfort of it.

2. The world we live in requires a strong faith. It is a den
of lions, and a mountain of leopards ; the roaring lion is going
about seeking to devour. Red seas and Jordans of trouble lie
in our way to Canaan, through the howling wilderness. Storms
and tempests of persecution and tribulation may blow, which
will make the strong believer to stagger and shake : and if so,
has not the weak believer reason to fortify himself, by study-
ing to believe better than he has done 1 for it is by faith that
we stand in an evil day.

3. Contentment with little faith, is no good sign of the reality
of faith; for (as was hinted before) it is of the nature of true
grace, to breathe after its own perfection, They who have

346 THE ASSURANCE OF FAITH, [SER.

the least degree of it, press after the highest. They that
know the Lord, follow on to know him.

4. Consider the advantages of a strong faith, beyond a weak,
1st, A strong faith has a firm and solid peace coming along
with it : Is. xxvi. 3 : " Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace,
whose mind is stayed on thee." But weak faith has its peace
disturbed at every turn of providence. 2dly, Strong faith
brings great joy with it ; hence we are said to be " filled
with joy and peace in believing;" yea, the joy of a lively
faith is a joy unspeakable, and full of glory," 1 Pet. i. 8. —
But now the weak believer, though he may perhaps some-
times be filled with the joy of sense, yet he has but little of
the joy of believing. Hence it is, that whenever sense is
withdrawn, he is in the very suburbs of hell, crying, " The
Lord hath forgotten to be gracious, his promise fails for ever-
more. 3dly, strong faith is more steady in a storm than a
weak faith is. Strong faith, when the storm blows, casts out
the anchor of hope, and rides in safety, crying, " I will not be
afraid, though the earth be removed, and though the moun-
tains be carried into the midst of the sea, and though the
waters thereof roar." But now, weak faith, like Peter walk-
ing on the waters, is ready at every billow to cry out, " Mas-
ter, I perish." When created comforts fail, when the fields
yield no increase, weak faith is ready to say, I and my
family will perish: but strong faith will say, Up the heart,
there is no fear ; " my bread shall be given me, my water
shall be sure;" because a God of truth has said it, whose is
the " earth, and the fulness thereof." He that " feeds the ra-
vens," will not let his children starve ; he that " clothes the
lilies," will not let me go naked. 4thly, Strong faith has more
confidence and boldness in entering into the holiest, more
moyen and interest in heaven, than weak faith has, John xiv.
13, 14; Mark xi. 24; James i. 6. Weak faith, although God
will not reject its suit, yet its returns are not so clear and full;
yea, I will venture to say, that unbelieving doubts, and fears,
and jealousies, mar the success of many a good petition, bthly,
Strong faith makes the approaches of death more easy than
they are to the weak believer. Strong faith takes up the
telescope of the promise, and looks beyond death, to the land
afar oft', and rejoices in the hope of the glory of God, saying,
as the head Christ did, Psal. xvi. 9, " My heart is glad, and
my glory rejoiceth ; my flesh also shall rest in hope :" for he
hath " showed me the path of life," the new and living way
to those " rivers of pleasures," and that " fulness of joy," which
are "at God's right hand for evermore." Strong faith, view-
ing an exalted Redeemer, sees death and hell among the
trophies of his victory, and thereupon triumphs over it as a

XI.] OPENED AND APPLIED. 347

vanquished and slain enemy, saying, " O death, where is thy
sting 1 O grave, where is thy victory 1 Thanks be to God, who
giveth me the victory, through Jesus Christ my Lord." But
now, weak faith shivers and trembles at the approaches of
death, lest it should be swallowed up in the swellings of that
Jordan. Let these considerations, I say, quicken you to breathe
after, the increase of your weak faith, that you may draw near
with full assurance of faith.

1 conclude this whole discourse with a word, 1. of encou-
ragement; and, 2. of advice, to weak believers: for our
glorious Master has commanded us, to "strengthen the weak
hands, to confirm the feeble knees ;" and to " say to them
that are of a fearful spirit, Be strong, fear not."

1. A word of comfort and encouragement to the poor
tender lambs and weaklings in God's flock, who are fre-
quently halting and staggering, through the prevalence of
unbelief.

(1.) Know, for thy comfort, that the weakest believer is
as nearly related to God as a Father, as the strongest believer
is. The weakest and youngest babe in a family is as dear to
the father as the first-born, or the son who is come to his full
strength and stature. Every branch of a tree is not alike
strong or big ; and yet the tenderest twig is. as'really united
to the root, and as really partakes of the sap of the root, as
the strongest and principal branch. So, here, the weakest
believer is in Christ, and partakes of his Spirit, as well as the
strongest.

(2.) The weak believer is clothed with the white raiment
of Christ's righteousness, and is as much justified by it, as
the strongest. Our great High Priest is clothed with a gar-
ment down to his feet, by which every member of his body
mystical is equally covered. It is equally true of every be-
liever, that " there is no condemnation to them which are in
Christ," Rom. viii. 1.

(3.) The least and weakest degree of faith shall hold out
to the end. They are all " kept by the power of God,
through faith unto salvation." He will not break the bruised
reed, nor quench the smoking flax ; where the good work
is begun, his faithfulness is engaged to carry it on to the
day of Christ. The weakest degree of faith has glory and
salvation knit to it by God's promise, as well as the strong-
est : It is not, " He that believeth strongly shall be saved ;"
but, "He that believeth" indefinitely, whether his faith be
weak or strong.

(4.) Our blessed Redeemer for ordinary vents his affection
in a more tender and sensible manner toward weak believers,
than toward the strong. The good Shepherd of Israel " car-

348 THE ASSURANCE OF FAITH, [.SER.

ries the lambs in his bosom, and gently leads them that are
with young." Hence it comes, that weak believers have
commonly more sensible ravishing joys and consolations than
strong believers. Much like a wise and affectionate parent,
who will take his young infant on his knee, dandle it, and
hug it in his bosom, while he will not allow his affections to
run out after such a manner toward his son of age and sta-
ture, for that were to make a fool of him.

May the poor weak believer say, These are strong con-
solations indeed, if I might lay claim to them : but that is
what I still fear, that I have no faith at all, no, not like a
grain of mustard seed. Beside what was said on this in the
former part of the discourse, I shall only ask these two ques-
tions: 1st, Does not thy heart throb and faint within thee,
when thou thinkest of a parting with the Lord Jesus X If so,
this says, that his love is shed abroad in thy heart by the
Holy Ghost ; and consequently a root and principle of faith,
from whence it flows, cleaving t© the Lord like the iron
touched with the loadstone. And I tell thee good news, that
as thou hatest to be put away from him, so " he hates putting
away ;" and therefore there never shall be a separation. 2dly.
Dost thou not find a restlessness in thy spirit, an uneasiness in
thy bosom, when the Lord withdraws, like a bone out of joint,
or a fish out of its element? If so, the root of faith is within;
Christ has been with thee in a way of grace and love, other-
wise thou couldst not distinguish between absence and pre-
sence. And if ever Christ made thee a visit, his first visit
shall not be his last ; for " his goings forth are prepared," or
secured " like the morning."

2. I come to shut up all with a few advices to weak be-
lievers, in order to the increase of their faith toward a full
assurance.

(1.) Be humbled under a sense of remaining unbelief, and
the weakness of your faith; for " the Lord giveth grace
(and more grace) to the humble." The more that self is
pulled down, the higher is Christ exalted in a way of be-
lieving.

(2.) Be greedy of more faith. Covetousness in the
things of this world is idolatry : but this is among the best
things, which you are allowed earnestly to covet ; and the
more you covet and desire of the Spirit of faith, the more
you shall get ; for " he satisfieth the longing soul, and filleth
the hungry soul with goodness. Open thy mouth wide, and
I will fill it."

(3.) Be well acquainted with the grounds of faith, as they
are laid in the gospel revelation, some of which I have point-
ed at in the preceding discourse. I am persuaded, that one

XI.] THE ASSURANCE OF FAITH, OPENED AND APPLIED. 349

great reason why so many do not believe at all, and why
the faith of many real believers remains so weak, is their unac-
quaintedness with the strong and sure gi'ounds that their faith
has to build upon. Weak, timorous believers, fixed upon the
foundation God has laid in Zion, are just like a man stand-
ing on a firm immoveable rock, his head turns giddy, and he
imagines that the rock is turning upside down with him, while
the failure is- not in the rock, but in his own head. Our faith
fails us, through our unacquairitedness with the stability of
God's covenant and promise. And, therefore, I say, study to
be better acquainted with the promise and faithfulness, power
and love, of the Promiser.

(4.) If you would have weak faith increased and strength-
ened, then be frequently exercising any weak faith you have ;
for gracious as well as natural habits are increased and im-
proved by repeated acts: " To him that hath," and improves
well what he hath, " shall be given." This is the way to have
your mite turned into a talent; and your talent of faith, by
frequent exercise, shall, in due time, become as ten talents.

(5.) When you get any sensible experiences of the Lord's
love, improve them, not as the grounds of your faith, but as
encouragements to go on in trusting and believing, upon the
grounds of faith laid before you in the word. These sensible
tastes of the Lord's loving kindness are given you, not that
you should dote upon the sweetness of them, but to encourage
and farther you in trusting- and believing: Psal. xxxvi. 7:
" How excellent is thy loving kindness, O God! therefore, the
children of men put their trust under the shadow of thy
wings." It is a common fault among many believers in our
day, when they find any thing of sensible presence, then, in-
deed, they rejoice, and they have good reason so to do; but
no sooner doth a cloud come, but their faith, as well as their
joy, vanishes, and they have as little trust to put in the word
and promise of the God of their life, when his back is turned,
or he out of their sight, as though they never had received a
kindness at his hand. And this is a reason, I am convinced,
why it fares so ill with many of us at this day; and, there-
fore, let us amend it. And what comfort and joy we find in
his presence, let it encourage and engage us to trust, and
hope, and wait, and believe in him, when absent to our sense.
And if we thus improve the marks of grace and consolations
of his Spirit, the joy of the Lord shall be our strength ; and
our path shall be indeed " as the path of the just, and as the
shining light, which shineth more and more unto the perfect
day."

vol. i. 30

350

SERMON XII.

GOD IN CHRIST, A GOD OF LOVE.*
God is love. — 1 John iv. 16.

My friends, the gospel is called good news, and a joyful
sound; and I do not know what better news could be brought
into a company of sinners of Adam's family, who are lying
under the sentence of death, and condemned from heaven,
and under the awful apprehensions of the wrath and ven-
geance of the great God, than to tell you that God is love.
And I am sure, that, if this report of a God in Christ were but
received and entertained in a way of believing, it would make
every one of this assembly join issue with the angels at the
birth of Christ, saying, " Glory to God in the highest, and on
earth, peace, good-will towards men." God is love. This is
not to be understood of God essentially, but manifestatively,
in the manifestation that he has made of himself in Christ: he
is love, or love is the swaying attribute of his nature.

We are this day called to celebrate a love-feast: I have
therefore chosen to discourse a little at this time on that attri-
bute and perfection of the divine nature, which is most sig-
nally and remarkably displayed in this ordinance, which is
the very same with that by which God is described in the
words of my text, God is love.

It is a great question which you have in your Lesser Cate-
chism, What is God? It puts men and angels to an ever-
lasting stand and nonplus, to tell what he is. " Who can by
searching find out God ? who can find out the Almighty unto
perfection?" who is capable to tell the first letter of his glori-
ous and ever blessed name ? The highest seraphim in hea-
ven cannot form an adequate conception of him, and, there-
fore, is not capable to give a full description of him: it is only
some of the back parts of his glory that are seen or known
by created beings. I remember to have heard of a certain
philosopher, who, being asked what God is, desired time to
answer it; when that time was come, desired a longer; and
when that was come, desired yet a longer; and so on: and

* Preached immediately before the celebration of the sacrament of the
Lord's supper, at Portmoak, July 17, 1726.

XU.] GOD IN CHRIST, A GOD OF LOVE. 351

being asked the reason why he protracted the time, and
deterred his answer, he replied, That the more he thought on
God, the more he was swallowed up, and at a loss how to
describe him. And so will it be with every finite understand-
ing, that thinks to find him out to perfection : it is only God
himself who can resolve the question, and tell what he is.
And I remember of a three-fold answer that the Spirit of God
gives to this question in scripture, What is God? One you
have, John iv. 24 : God is a Spirit; a second you have, 1 John
i. 5 : God is light; a third you have in the words of my text,
God is love. The first two tell what God is in himself, but this
tells us what God is to us.

If the question were asked, What is God, to a guilty sin-
ner, that has violated his law, trampled upon his authority,
and lifted up rebellious arms against his Sovereign? one would
think that the answer would be, God is a God of fury, God is
wrath, God is hatred, God is vengeance: but, to the eternal
surprise of men and angels, the very reverse ! the answer is,
God is love.

The text, you see, is short, but, Oh! it is massy, full to a
wonder: it is but one simple proposition. Where notice, (1.)
The subject of the proposition, God, whose name commands
reverence and adoration among men and angels. I conceive
that God is not spoken of personally here, but essentially, as
having a respect to all the persons of the adorable Trinity, who
are one in essence, will, and operation; so that the meaning-
is, the Father is love, the Son is love, and the Holy Ghost is
love. (2.) We have the predicate of the proposition, or the
thing asserted concerning him, he is love. There is a height
and a depth in this expression, which surpasses our compre-
hension : and we cannot give a just commentary upon it ; for
we do but darken counsel by words without knowledge, when
we speak of God. All I shall say of it, by way of explication,
is only to tell you, that God is one simple and uncompounded
Being, and the divine attributes and perfections are all one in
him: his wisdom is nothing else but the infinitely wise God:
his power is nothing else but the omnipotent or1 almighty
God; his holiness is nothing else but the infinitely holy God;
his justice is the just and righteous God; so here love denotes
the loving God, or a God of love. I shall only notice farther,
that God here, in this description he gives of himself, is pre-
sented to our view, not in the law, but in the gospel-revelation
of himself. When God is viewed by a guilty sinner in the
law revelation, his justice and wrath immediately appear ready
to take vengeance on the workers of iniquity; hence, the ho-
liest of the saints of God, when they view him in this glass,
cannot miss to fall a trembling: " I remembered God," says

352 GOD IN CHRIST, A GOD OF LOVE. [SER.

the holy man, Psal. lxvii. 3, "and was troubled." But when
God is viewed in the gospel revelation, or as he is in Christ,
not imputing their trespasses to them, then grace, and love,
and good-will present themselves to the sinner's view. And
in this view God is to be considered in this description we
have of him, God is love. From the words thus briefly
opened, the observation I offer is this: —

Doct. " That God manifesting himself in Christ is a God
of love."

Now, in prosecuting this doctrine, I shall endeavour,

I. To premise two or three things for clearing the way.

II. Prove that God in Christ is a God of love.

III. Offer you a view of the love of God in Christ.

IV. Inquire whence it is that God in Christ should be a
God of love. And,

V. Apply the whole.

I. The first thing is, to premise two or three things for
clearing this doctrine.

1. Know, that the goodness, sweetness, and pleasantness of
God's nature is the foundation of his love; he has a heroic
disposition of communicating of himself to others, and from
thence flows his love to mankind. Hence it is, that when
God had a mind to make known his love to Moses, he tells
him", that he would make all his goodness to pass before him;
and, accordingly, he proclaims himself to be, "The Lord, the
Lord God, merciful and gracious, long-suffering, and abun-
dant in goodness and truth." And with this view, I think
our divines, in the 4th question of the Lesser Catechism, speak
neither of the love, mercy, nor grace of God, but wrap them
up in that general of goodness, wisdom, power, holiness, jus-
tice, and truth.

2. I premise, that love is the regnant or prevailing attribute
of the divine nature, if I may so speak. So much seems to
be pointed at in the expression of the text, God is love. I do
not find any other attribute of the divine nature so expressed
in the scripture; we do not find it is said, God is mercy, God is
justice, God is holiness, God is power, or God is wisdom: no;
the expression in this attribute has something peculiar in it,
God is love. And I conceive it plainly bears this much, that
love is, as it were, the imperial or commanding attribute of
the divine nature, insomuch that every other attribute receives
a dye and tincture of love from it: there is a strain of love
runs through every one of them, and it is as it were the spring
that sets all on work. What but love sets wisdom on work
to contrive our redemption? what but love actuates infinite

Xii.] GOD IN CHRIST, A GOD OF LOVE. 353

power to execute that contrivance? what but love sets the
bowels of mercy rolling towards the miserable sinner? Thus,
I say, love is the first wheel as it were that sets all the other
wheels a going. x

3. The gift of Christ to a lost world is the most signal and
glorious display of the love of God that ever heaven or earth
heard tell of: hence is that of the apostle, in the 10th verse of
this chapter where my text lies, " Herein is love, not that we
loved God, but that he loved us," but how was this love ma-
nifested ? " He sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins."
To the same purpose is that which you have, John iii. 16:
" God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son,
that whosoever believeth in him, should not perish, but have
everlasting life." The love of God to sinners lay hid, as it
were, under a veil of wrath and justice, till Christ appeared,
undertaking to satisfy justice, and to bear the wrath of his
Father in our room ; then, indeed, the kindness and love of
God to man appeared, venting itself in a most glorious and
triumphant manner, insomuch that, in and through Christ,
grace and love " reign through righteousness unto eternal life,
by Jesus Christ our Lord." But this leads to,

II. The second thing in the method, which was, to make it
a little more evident, that God in Christ is a God of love.
This will be abundantly clear, if we consider these few
things : —

1. God in Christ is a reconciled God, a God of peace, that
has received the atonement: 2 Cor. v. 19: "God was in
Christ, reconciling the world unto himself." Rom. v. 10:
" When we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the
death of his Son." He both finds the ransom, and accepts
of the ransom that he has found ; and having accepted of the
ransom, of the Surety, he proclaims himself to be "the God
of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus
Christ." Oh, sirs! does not this say that God is love? what
greater evidence of it could God give, than to provide a ran-
som, and to receive it, than to cry, "Deliver them from go-
ing down to the pit, for I have found a ransom?"

2. God in Christ is a promising God; and does not this say
that he is a God of love? God abstractly considered is a
threatening God, a revenging God; but, in Christ, a promising
God; and we find, 2 Cor. i. 20, that all the promises of God
are in Christ, and in him yea and amen." Whenever you
meet with any promise in the Bible, of grace or of glory, of
peace or of pardon, or be what it will, you should still take
it up as a promise of a God in Christ: Christ having fulfilled
the condition of the promise of eternal life, by his obedience
and death, the promises are given out to us, through him, as

30*

354 GOD IN CHRIST, A GOD OF LOVE. [SER.

the immediate ground and foundation of our faith, with an
intimation and advertisement, " The promise is unto you, and
to your seed, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the
Lord our God shall call." Sirs, if any man should present
to you a bond, bill, or security, for a vast sum of money,
which would enrich you for all your- days, you would look
upon it as a great and indisputable evidence of his love to
you. Well, this is the very case between God and you;
through Christ, he is a promising God ; he comes in a gospel
dispensation, saying, " I will put my Spirit within you ; I will
be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their
iniquities will I remember no more," &c. These promises are
presented to you as the ground of your faith ; and that very
moment you take hold of them in a way of believing, you
come to be possessed of them, and all the benefits of his pur-
chase, according to that, Is. lv. 3 : " Hear, and your soul shall
live;" it is the hearing of faith that is intended; "and I will
make" or establish "an everlasting covenant with you, even
the sure mercies of David." Oh, sirs ! does not this say that
God is love?

3. God in Christ is a God sitting upon a throne of grace :
and does not this say, that God is love? God has a threefold
throne,— a throne of glory, a throne of justice, and a throne
of grace. The first of these, his throne of glory, is so bright,
that it dazzles the eyes of angels, and they cover their faces
with their wings when they approach it. The second, name-
ly, his throne of justice, is clothed with red vengeance; and
it is so terrible, that the most holy saints tremble when they
behold it, " If thou, Lord, shouldst mark iniquities, O Lord,
who shall stand? — In thy sight shall no man living be justi-
fied." And because we were not able to stand here, he has
erected another throne, namely, a throne of grace, from
whence he issues out acts of grace and mercy to guilty-siri-
ners; and so soon as he is seen sitting upon his throne, he is
taken up as a God of love; and upon this the poor sinner, that
was trembling; at the thoughts of beinrr cited before the throne
of justice, flees for his life to the throne of grace, saying
with the apostle, Heb. iv. 16: "Let us therefore come boldly
unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and
find grace to help in time of need."

4. God in Christ is a God matching with us, and betrothing
us unto himself in loving kindness; and does not this say, that
he is a God of love? There is a twofold match that the great
and infinite Jehovah has made with Adam's family. (1.) He
matches with our nature by a personal union in the person of
his eternal Son : he marries our nature ; and thus he becomes
akin to the whole family of Adam, an honour that the angelic

Xii.] GOD IN CHRIST, A GOD OF LOVE. 355

family was never dignified with; for "he takes not on him
the nature of angels, but the seed of Abraham." Oh, sirs !
what shall I tell you? strange and surprising news indeed,
" God is manifested in the flesh ! " The great God becomes
related to us in Christ; for he is clothed with our nature;
he is become " bone of our bone, and flesh of our flesh ;" and
what is the language of this, but that of the angels at his birth,
" glad tidings of great joy, good will and peace towards men
upon earth?" (2.) Another match he makes with us, is, by
taking us actually under the bond of a marriage relation.
The match is proposed to all in the call and offer of the gos-
pel: but you know the bare proposal of marriage does not
make marriage, till once the consent of the bride be obtained ;
and the moment the soul gives its assent and consent to the
proposal made in the gospel, he betroths that soul to himself
in loving kindness and in mercy, in righteousness and in
judgment; and the Lord rejoices over that soul, as a bride-
groom rejoices over the bride, saying to it, " Thy Maker is
thine husband, the Lord of hosts is his name," Ts. liv. 5. And,
oh, sirs ! does not this say that God is love ? Because the dis-
tance between him and us was too great, (abstractly consi-
dered,) therefore, he first comes on a level with us, by taking
on our nature, that so the inequality of the persons might be
no stop: he becomes our husband, and we his spouse and
bride.

5. God in Christ is a God with us, on our side, our friend,
and takes part with us against all evil or danger: and does
not this say, that God is love, as he is in Christ? Oh, sirs!
God out of Christ is a God against us: hence, he is said to be
"angry with the wicked every day;" he " whets his glittering
sword, and his hand takes hold on judgment," to render ven-
geance to every transgressor of his holy law. But God in
Christ is not a God against us, but a God with us, or a God
for us; the name Immanuel imports, God with. us. And everv
one that takes a God in Christ for their God, may say, upon
warrantable grounds, with the church, Psal. xlvL 7: "The
Lord of hosts is with us, the God of Jacob is our refuge."
And they may say it upon a covenant ground, for God in
Christ has said, Js. xliii. 2: "When thou passest through the
waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, thev
shall not overflow thee. — I will never leave thee nor forsake
thee."

6. God in Christ is a pardoning God : and does not this de-
clare him to be a God of love? "I, even I, am he that blot-
teth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and will not
remember thy sins. I will be merciful to their unrighteous-
ness," &c.

356 GOD IN CHRIST, A GOD OF LOVE. [SER.

7. God in Christ is a pitying God ; he pities Christless and
unbelieving sinners, and is loath at his very heart to give up
with them: Hos. xi. 8: "How shall I give thee up, Ephraim?
how shall I deliver thee, Israel? how shall I make thee as
Adman? how shall I set thee as Zeboim? Mine heart is
turned within rne, my repentings are kindled together." And
how great is his pity to the soul that believes in him ! His
pity to them is like the pity of a father to his son: Psal.
ciii. 13: "Like as a father pitieth his children, so the Lord
pitieth them that fear him." It is like the pity of a fond mo-
ther to a sucking child: Is. lxix. 15: "Can a woman forget
her sucking child, that he should not have compassion on the
son of her womb? yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget
thee."

8. God in Christ is a God of infinite bounty and liberality,
and a prayer-hearing God ; (I cast things together, that I may
not be tedious.) Oh, sirs ! his heart is free, and his hand is
full and open; open-heai'ted, open-handed: "If any man lack
wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally,
and upbraideth not." Such is his bounty and liberality, that
it is nothing but ask and have with him: "Ask, and it shall
be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be
opened unto you," Matth. vii. 7. When we have asked great
things of him, he [chides] us, as if we had asked nothing: he
does not deal with a scrimp or a sparing hand: no, no: "Ask,
and ye shall receive," says he, " that your joy may be full."
Yes, such is his bounty, that he is ready to do for us exceed-
ing abundantly above what we can either ask or think; such
is his bounty, that he presents us with the blessings of his
goodness: his goodness and mercy are like the rain or dew,
that does not wait for the sons of men: Is. lxv. 24: " And it
shall come to pass, that, before they call, I will answer, and
while they are yet speaking, I will hear."

9. God in Christ is an inciting God, an entreating God, to
sinners: and does not this say, that he is a God of love? He
invites us to come to him for all needful grace: Is. lv. 1 : " Ho,
every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that
hath no money; come ye, buy and eat; yea, come, buy wine
and milk without money, and without price." He is an en-
treating God in Christ: 2 Cor. v. 20: "We are ambassadors
for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray
you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God." He com-
plains of the backwardness of sinners to come to him : " Ye
will not come to me, that ye might have life." He expostu-
lates with them on this account: "O my people, what have
I done unto thee, and wherein have I wearied thee ? testify
against me." He waits for an answer; he will not take a re-

Xii.] GOD IN CHRIST, A GOD OF LOVE. 357

pulse. " Behold, I stand at the door, and knock." And he
stands knocking till his locks are wet. Oh! does not all this
say that God in Christ is love?

10. To crown all, God in Christ is our God. He makes
a grant of himself in the covenant as such ; " I will be their
God:" and he allows us to claim him by faith as our God,
upon this very grant he makes of himself to us in Christ, Zech.
xiii. 9 : " I will say, It is my people ; and they shall say, The
Lord is my God." And, oh ! happy that soul that is enabled
to give faith's echo to this covenant grant, and say, " This
God is my God for ever and ever; and he will be my Guide
even unto death." In a word, God in Christ is our Father;
for it is only a God in Christ that says, "I will be unto them
a Father, and they shall be unto me sons and daughters."
He has taught us to say, " Our Father which art in heaven."
And he is displeased with us, when we are shy with him,
through unbelief, to call him by this endearing title: Jer. iii. 4:
" Wilt thou not from this time cry unto me, My Father, —
and not turn away from me?" Oh! what but the infinite
bowels of love could speak in such a style and dialect ! Now,
from all this I think the truth of the doctrine is abundantly
evident, that God in Christ is a God of love.

III. The third thing in the method was, to offer you some
views of the love of this God in Christ. And there is only a
threefold view of it that I shall present you with. 1. View it
in the kinds of it. 2. View it in the dimensions of it. 3. In
its qualities.

First, I say, let us view the love of a God of love, in the
different kinds of it.

1. Then, He has a love of benevolence, or good-will, which
he bears towards men, particularly towards the whole visible
church. The lifting up of the brazen serpent in the camp of
Israel, that whosoever looked to it might be healed, was a
clear evidence of his good-will to the whole camp: so the
manifestation of Christ in the nature of man, and the revela-
tion of him in the gospel, is an evidence of the good-will he
bears to the salvation of all, John iii. 15, 16. He declares it
on his word, that he is " not willing that any should perish,
but that all should come to repentance;" and, lest his word
should not be believed, he has confirmed it with his oath,
Ezek. xxxiii. 11: " As I live, saith the Lord God, I have no
pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn
from his way and live."

2. He has a love, not only of benevolence, but of benefi-
cence ; he not only wishes you well, but does well unto you.
Oh, sirs ! many a good turn has he done you, particularly you

358 GOD IN CHRIST, A GOD OF LOVE. [sER.

who are members of the visible church ; he gives you line
upon line, precept upon precept; he makes you to hear the
joyful sound, the voice of the turtle: many a minister has he
sent you; many an offer of Christ, and of life through him,
has he made to you; many a time has he knocked at thy
door, by word, by conscience, and the motions and whispers
of his Spirit ; so that he may say to us, as he did of his vine-
yard, Is. v. 4: " What could have been done more for them,
that I have not done?" And because of your obstinacy in
unbelief and sin, he may challenge you as he did Israel, and
say, Mic. vi. 3: " O, my people, what have I done unto thee,
and wherein have I wearied thee? testify against me. Was
I ever a barren wilderness, or a land of darkness?" Thus, I
say, God's love of benevolence and beneficence is, in some
respects, extended to all.

3. There is a love of complacency, or delight and satis-
faction, which is peculiar only to believers; who, because of
the excellency of his loving kindness, do put their trust under
the shadow of his wings. Oh, believer, the Lord loves thee,
a God of love loves thee, not only with a love of benevolence
and beneficence, as he does others, in some respects, but he
loves thee with a complacent love, as so to take pleasure in
thee : " The Lord taketh pleasure in his people : he will beau-
tify the meek with salvation." He loves thee with a love of
estimation : he puts such a high value and estimate upon thee,
that thou art precious in the sight of the Lord, thou art his
treasure, and his peculiar treasure : " The Lord's portion is
his people: Jacob is the lot of his inheritance." He loves
thee with a love of union; he desires thy company, and to
hear thy voice, and to see thy countenance: Cant. ii. 14: "O,
my dove, that art in the clefts of the rock, in the secret places
of the stairs, let me see thy countenance, let me hear thy
voice; for sweet is thy voice, and thy countenance is come-
ly." He loves thee with an ecstatic love: his love runs out
into a kind of rapture and ecstasy, Cant. iv. 9, twice with one
breath he cries out, " Thou hast ravished my heart, my sister,
my spouse; thou hast ravished my heart with one of thine
eyes, with one chain of thy neck." No where is the word
used in scripture but here ; " Thou hast ravished my heart."
New words are, as it were, coined to express the inexpressi-
ble love, that a God in Christ bears towards his people. The
word signifies, thou hast unhearted me: it is an allusion to
that which is a weakness in us, when our affections run so
much out to any particular object, as to become heartless of
any thing else. Some render the words, " thou hast wounded
or pierced my heart, Oh, my sister," &c. The love of God

xii.] GOD IN CHRIST, A GOD OF LOVE. 359

runs so deep, that he was content, in the person of his eter-
nal Son, to be " wounded for our transgressions, and bruised
for our iniquities."

Now, the complacent love of God to his people is various-
ly expressed in scripture. As,

1st, His love is said to be a pastoral love, or the love a
shepherd has to his flock : Is. xl. 1 1 : " He shall feed his flock
like a shepherd," &c.

2dly, His love is a friendly love : " Ye are my friends,"
says he, " if ye do whatsoever I command you." And, like
a true friend, he communicates his mind to them, John xv. 15:
" Henceforth I call you not servants ; for the servant knoweth
not what his Lord doth : but I have called you friends ; for
all things that I have heard of my Father, I have made known
unto you. Unto you it is given to know the mysteries of the
kingdom; but to others it is not given."

3d/y, His complacency in them sometimes runs out into a
conjugal love: Is. liv. 5: "Thy Maker is thine husband, the
Lord of hosts is his name," &c.

4thly, Sometimes it runs out into a paternal love : " I will
be to them a Father, and they shall be my sons and daughters,
saith the Lord Almighty." But why do I stand on this ? In
one word, his love is the love of a God; his love cannot be
expressed by any similitude, for God is love; he is as it were
all one flame of love to the believer. Love is in him in its
perfection, and perfect love casts out hatred: his heart is just
the very centre of love; and whatsoever sparks of love are to
be found in any of our hearts, they are all kindled at this
fire. As all the waters that are in the rivers come originally
from the sea, and return back to it again ; so any drop of
love that is to be found in any of our hearts, is just an ema-
nation of his love, returning back again into its proper cen-
tre, from whence it came. And thus much for the different
kinds of his love.

Secondly, Let us view the love of God in its dimensions.
Among corporeal beings there are only three dimensions rec-
koned; but the apostle, speaking of the love of God in Christ,
admits of a fourth, Eph. iii. 17, 18. He there speaks of the
height, the depth, the breadth, and length, of the love of God,
which passes knowledge.

1. It is so high, that the height of it can never be reached;
no, not by the most soaring angel or seraphim in heaven. We
And, that the Spirit of God, when he would express his love,
runs above the height of the highest heavens to borrow a si-
militude for the illustration of it, comparing it to the love
which the Father bears the Son, John xv. 9 : " As the Fa-
ther hath loved me, so have I loved you." Oh! who can tell

360 GOD IN CHRIST, A GOD OF LOVE. [SER.

how the Father loves the Son! there is more here than all
the angels in heaven are capable either to conceive or ex-
press ; yet such is the love of a God of love to believers.

2. He speaks not only of a height, but a depth in this love.
The heart of man is a great depth, that none knows it, but he
that knows all things ; and if the heart of man be such a great
depth, what must the heart of God be 1 Yet this love is rooted
in the very heart of God; so much is implied in the very ex-
pression of the text, God is love. His love is a hear]: of love.
He loves with the whole heart, and with the whole soul. So
deep is his love, that it descended, as it were, to the depth to
help and relieve us; it descended unto the depth of hell, in the
dying agonies of the Son of God, to bring us up from the
depth of misery and distress into which we had plunged our-
selves.

3. This love of a God of love has also a breadth with it,
which can never be measured. So broad is this love, that
in the word of grace, and external dispensation of the gospel,
it reaches forth its arms to embrace a lost world: John iii. 16:
" God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son,
that whosoever believeth in him, should not perish, but have
everlasting life." So broad is it, that it takes in Jew and
Gentile, Barbarian, Scythian, bond or free; it takes in those
that lived before the law, those that lived under the law, those
that live under the gospel. Oh, sirs ! the love of God is broad ;
his heart is wide and capacious: you need not fear as if there
were no room for you: no, no, for all the innumerable multi-
tude that his love has grasped, there is yet room for you, room
for me, and room for all the world that come to him through
Christ.

4. The apostle yet adds another dimension to this love, and
that is, the length of it; and, in short, it is as long as eternity.
Look back to an eternity past, and we shall find, that his love,
like himself, never had a beginning: "I have loved thee with
an everlasting love." And let us look forward to an eternity
to come, and we shall find that his love shall never have an
end ; for it is " from everlasting to everlasting ;" he rests in
his love, and changes not: "The mountains shall depart, and
the hills be removed, but my kindness shall not depart from
thee, neither shall the covenant of my peace be removed,
saith the Lord, that hath mercy on thee." Thus, you see its
dimensions.

Thirdly, Let us take a view of the love of a God of love
in its qualities and properties.

1. His love is a free love : Hos. xiv. 4 : " I will heal their
backsliding, I will love them freely." This love is free in its
first fountain, viewing it, I mean, as it lies in the heart of

XII.] GOD IN CHRIST, A GOD OF LOVE. 361

God. What made him to set his love upon any of Adam's
posterity, and to choose them from eternity 1 The cause of
it is not to be found in the creature, but in himself; only his
own sovereign will and grace is the cause of it; for he "pre-
destinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to
himself, according to the good pleasure of his will," Eph. i. 5 :
" He hath saved us and called us with a holy calling, not ac-
cording to our works, but according to his own purpose and
grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus, before the world
began," 2 Tim. i. 9. And then, again, this love is free, not
only in its first fountain, but free in the offer, revelation, and
manifestation of it in the word : and the love of God, as it is
in the word of grace, is a common love, common to all the
hearers of the gospel, in regard it comes to every man's door,
and offers itself to him: "Ho, every one. that thirsteth, come.
Whosoever will, let him come," &c. " Unto you, O men, I
call, and my voice is to the sons of man." And then it is a
free love, in regard of the application of it to the elect soul in
a day of power ; the love of God is manifested in the word
of grace taken by the Holy Ghost, and shed abroad upon the
sinner's heart, and that without regard to any good qualifica-
tion or work of righteousness in us. In a word, this love of
a God of love is free, in opposition to merit. That which
conciliates love among men, is either beauty, strength, wis-
dom, riches, or some such qualification or inducement : but
no such thing is to be found in any of Adam's posterity:
" When thou wast in thy blood, I said unto thee, Live ; and
thy time was a time of love." Instead of beauty, nothing but
deformity; instead of strength, nothing but weakness ; instead
of riches, nothing but poverty. And as it is free in opposi-
tion to merit, so it is free in opposition to any constraint or
force. Love is a thing that cannot be forced ; no, it is volun-
tary, and of its own accord. God's love is only owing to
the freedo'm of his own will, Eph. i. 9.

2. The love of this God of love is a strong and invincible
love. Before his love could reach us in the application of it,
it had mountains to level : but, " behold, he cometh, leaping
upon the mountains, and skipping upon the hills." There
were deep seas and floods in the way of his love, but " many
waters could not quench it, neither were all floods able to
drown it:" it runs through every difficulty, it encounters every
impediment in its way. The infinite distance between God
and a creature, was a bar in the way of this love : but he
conquers this impediment; for "God is manifested in the
flesh." The moral distance between a filthy guilty sinner is
an impediment in the way of this love : but he breaks this
bar also ; for the Son of God is not only manifested in the

vol. i. 31

362 GOD IN CHRIST, A GOD OF LOVE. [SER.

flesh, but " made in the likeness of sinful flesh, yea, made sin
for us." The curse of the law was a bar in the way : but
this bar he breaks; for Christ was " made a curse for us, that
we might be redeemed from the curse of the law." Sin in its
guilt, and filth, and power, lay in the way of his love : but
love breaks through this, and "finishes transgression, and
makes an end of sin." Ignominy and disgrace lay in its way,
grief and sorrow : but this love conquers that : for he was con-
tent to endure the cross, and love despises the shame of it; he
is content, out of love, to become " a man of sorrows and ac-
quainted with grief." And then, when this love comes to the
sinner, in order to conversion, it finds him dead, dead in tres-
passes and sins: the man has perhaps laid twenty, thirty, for-
ty, or sixty years in the grave of sin, so that, lo, he stinks :
Oh, what an object is he ! he is an object of loathing instead
of love : but yet this love of a God of love conquers this im-
pediment also : for, " when we were dead in sins, for the great
love wherewith he loved us, he quickened us." And then,
after this love has actually grasped the soul in effectual calling,
how many provocations gets it by the whoredoms of heart
and life-departing from the Lord 1 and yet, such is the invin-
cible nature of this love, that it overcomes all, and abides firm
to the end; hence, says the apostle, Rom. viii. 35, 37, " Who
shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or
distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or
sword 1 Nay, in all these things we are more than con-
querors, through him that loved us." It is because his love
is invincible, that we are more than conquerors through him
that loved us ; because his love is strong as death, therefore,
death shall not separate ; because it is deep as hell, therefore,
neither hell nor devils shall be able to make a separation.

3. The love of this God of love, is an incomparable, yea,
a superlative love. Let us but view here how much a God
in Christ loves them who " trust under the shadow of his
wings, because of the excellency of his loving kindness." (1.)
He loves them more than he loves all other men: Is. xliii. 3,
4 : " I will give men for thee, and people for thy life." (2.)
He loves believers more than he loves angels. Angels are
his servants, believers are his sons ; angels are his subjects,
believers are his bride. (3.) He loves them more than he
loves the whole world. The world consists of heaven and
earth. As for the earth, he did not value that, for the love
he had to his people : when the devil proffered him all the
kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them, he contemned
them all, out of love he had to his people. As for heaven, he
left the glory of the higher house, to dwell with men upon
earth. Yea, I shall add, (4.) The love of an incarnate Deity

XII.] GOD IN CHRIST, A GOD OF LOVE. 363

is greater to his people than to himself. He loved their life
and safety more than his own; for he laid down his life for
his friends, that they might not die : he prayed more for them
than he did for himself, as you may see, John xvii. through-
out. In a word, out of love he bore to us, he parted with
those things that are reckoned most valuable among men.
Men make a great account of their good name; but, out of
love to us, he became a reproach of men. Men make a great
account of their riches; but " though he was rich, yet for our
sakes he became poor." Men make a great account of their
life; "skin for skin, yea, all that a man hath will he give for
his life;" but Christ parted with this, " He loved me, and gave
himself for me." JVlen do or should make a great account
of their souls ; and yet, out of love to us, he made his soul an
offering, " My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death."
Men, I mean holy men, saints, make a greater account of the
love of God than of their life, " Thy love is better than life,"
says David ; and yet Christ was content to lose the sense of
that for awhile, out of love to us ; and it was withdrawn from
him, to that degree, that he cried out on the cross, " My God,
my God, why hast thou forsaken me ?" Thus much for a
view of the love of a God of love.

IV. The fourth thing in the method was, to inquire whence
it is that, in Christ, God should be a God of love to lost, and
undone, and rebellious sinners'? Whence comes this strange
alteration, that a God of vengeance, who was ready to de-
stroy all Adam's posterity because of sin, should lay aside his
garments of vengeance, and appear to us as a God of grace
and love 1

Jlnsw. 1. An offended and angry God is a God of love to
us in Christ, because in him justice is satisfied ; a ransom of
infinite value is paid in the Redeemer's blood. The justice
of God stood as an eternal bar, in the way of the manifesta-
tion of love to any of Adam's race ; but no sooner did justice
get a perfect satisfaction in the death of the Surety, but love
vents itself with infinite delight and satisfaction, and God pro-
claims himself, as in Exod. xxxiv. 6: " The Lord, the Lord
God, merciful and gracious, long-suffering, and abundant in
goodness and truth."

2. In Christ the law is fulfilled ; its command is obeyed,
and its curse is abolished. The violation of the holy law, by
the first sin of Adam, was the thing that incensed the Ma-
jesty of heaven against us ; but now Christ repairs the honour
of the divine law, yea, he " magnifies it and makes it honour-
able:" and hence it is, that in Christ God is a God of love;
for he is "well-pleased for his righteousness' sake."

3, In Christ God is a God of love, because in him that

364 GOD IN CHRIST, A GOD OF LOVE. [.SER.

arch-traitor against Heaven is condemned and destroyed. No
sooner did sin enter into the world, but Heaven cried out for
vengeance upon it and the sinner. Now, Christ undertakes
to " finish transgression and make an end of sin," Dan. ix. 24;
and, accordingly, for this purpose, the Son of God was mani-
fested, to take away the sin of the world : he " condemned sin
in the flesh," Rom. viii. 4. And hence it is, that God is a God
of love to sinners.

4. In Christ, the holiness of God is vindicated, and his sove-
reignty is maintained, and all his other attributes, which were
affronted by the sin of man, are, as it were, illustrated and
set in a pure light. Never were the perfections of God so
gloriously manifested as they are in Christ ; he is " the bright-
ness of the Father's glory, and the express image of his per-
son." There is a constellation of all the divine attributes in
him, which were obscured by the sin of man. And hence it
is, that God in him is a God of love.

5. Because in him, and by him, the image of God in man,
which was defaced by the fall, is again restored. This we
lost in the first Adam ; but it is again restored in Christ, the
second Adam ; for, through him we are " renewed in know-
ledge after the image of him who created us." But I do not
stay farther upon this head. I proceed now to,

V. The fifth thing in the method, which was the applica-
tion of the whole.

Use first of the doctrine shall be of information, in the few
following particulars. Is it so, that in and through Christ
God is a God of love?

1. See, hence, how much we owe to Christ; for it is owing
to his incarnation, obedience, and death, that ever God mani-
fested himself to any of Adam's posterity as a God of love.
The love of God to us runs through the channel of blood, that
so it might reach us in a consistency with the honour of jus-
tice ; for love could never take place, to the hurt or prejudice
of justice; but in him, "Mercy and truth are met together,
righteousness and peace kiss each other." Oh, then ! how
much does it concern us to celebrate the praises of our Re-
deemer Christ Jesus, and to cry, " To him that loved us, be
glory and praise ! " and " Salvation to our God, and to the
Lamb, for ever and ever !"

2. See, hence, the excellency of the gospel, and what a glo-
rious privilege it is, to live under the dispensations thereof.
Why, what is the gospel ? It is just the revelation of the love of
God in Christ, or of God as a God of love and grace in Christ;
and may we not cry out with the psalmist, Psal. lxxxix. 15 :
" Blessed is the people that know the joyful sound ?" What
more joyful sound can come to the ears of a company of

XII.] GOD IN CHRIST, A GOD OF LOVE. 365

traitors, rebels, condemned sinners, than that the God against
whom they have sinned, is a God of love, a reconciled God,
not imputing their trespasses unto them ? Oh, sirs ! prize the
gospel, and study to take up God according to the gospel-re-
velation of him ; for " it is life eternal to know him," and his
Son Jesus Christ, as he is set forth in the gospel.

3. See, hence, what an unreasonable thing the enmity of
the heart against God is, whether reigning enmity in the
wicked, or remaining in the saints. " The carnal mind is
enmity against God ; and much of this remains in the hearts
of believers themselves, while in an imbodied state, as is plain
in the case of the apostle, who groaned under it, saying,
" Wretched man that I am ! I find a law, that when I would
do good, evil is present with me." But, oh, sirs ! let us see
what a ridiculous and what an unjust thing it is. Oh ! to have
enmity against love ! strange, indeed ! What a monstrous
thing would you reckon it in a person, lying in the utmost mi-
sery, to entertain malice or enmity in his heart, against one
whose bowels are yearning towards him, and offering to relieve
him with the most tender compassion ! Yet this is the very
case between God and us. He shows himself to be a God
of love, yea, love itself: he offers his salvation to us, and to
bring us out of the horrible pit and miry clay of sin and mi-
sery ; to heal our wounds, to cure our diseases, and to save
us with an everlasting salvation : and, yet, to entertain enmi-
ty against this God of love, oh ! how unjust and unreasonable
is it ! May not God say to us on this account, " Do ye thus
requite the Lord, O foolish people and unwise?"

4. See, hence, what way the natural enmity of the heart,
and obstinacy of the will, are mastered and conquered in a
day of conversion : why, it is just by a revelation of God in
Christ to the sinner, as a God of love. The Spirit of the
Lord comes in a day of power, and he shines into the heart
with the light of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ,
and with this light of the knowledge, there is an emanation
of love from a God of love, which conquers, and captivates,
and carries down the power of enmity: hence, he is said to
" draw with the cords of a man, and with the bands of love."
And when this natural enmity begins to gather strength again,
in the soul of the believer, and comes in like a flood, the Spi-
rit of the Lord lifts up the banner of love against it, by a new
manifestation of the love of God in Christ : thus this Jordan
is driven back.

5. See, hence, whence it is that those who know God in
Christ, so much breathe after communion and fellowship with
him ; whence it is that they put such a value upon these tryst-

31*

366 GOD IN CHRIST, A GOD OF LOVE. [SER.

ing places where they use to enjoy him : why, they know him
to be a God of love ; and, therefore, one day in his courts, is
" better than a thousand." O ! says David, " how amiable
are thy tabernacles ! My soul thirsteth for God, for the living-
God : when shall I come and appear before God 1 " He knew
him to be a God of love : and this made his company so sweet
and desirable to him : " O ! taste and see that God is good.
— How excellent is his loving kindness ! " It " is better than
life."

6. See, hence, how it comes that there is no fellowship be-
tween God and a godless sinner : God does not delight in their
company, and they do not delight in his company : why, the
matter lies here, God is love, and the sinner is " enmity
against God;" and what fellowship can there be between
things that are so opposite to one another ? " What fellow-
ship hath light with darkness 1 what concord between Christ
and Belial," between heaven and hell ? Oh, sirs ! beware of
venturing to come to the table of a God of love, with enmity
in your hearts against him ; lest he say to you, as he did to
Judas, " Betrayest thou the Son of man with a kiss ?" You
cannot give a deeper wound to the heart of a God of love,
than to come with enmity to his feast of love : hence it is, that
unworthy communicants are said to "eat and drink judgment
to themselves," and to be " guilty of the body and blood of
the Lord."

7. See whence an evil heart of unbelief causes us to depart
from the living God : why, the plain reason is, unbelief, like
the spies that were sent up to Canaan, brings up an evil re-
port of a God of love ; it represents him as a God of hatred,
wrath, or anger ; it says that there is no love or kindness in
his heart ; that God hath " forgotten to be gracious ;" that
" he has in anger shut up his tender mercy;" it will not be-
lieve the report of the gospel, that God is a God of love; it
entertains jealousies of his grace, love, and faithfulness: and,
hence it is, that it turns us away from him. So long as we,
through unbelief, view God as an enemy, we cannot miss to
turn away from him ; for it is but natural for any man to turn
away from an enemy, or to fly his company or presence, as
Adam did.

8. See, hence, how it is by faith we draw near to God.
As unbelief turns us away from him ; sp it is by faith we come
to him, and have access to his presence : why, faith believes
the gospel report of a God in Christ ; that he is a God of love,
a reconciled God, a God sitting upon a throne of grace, a
God matching with our nature, making proposals of marriage
to us ; a God with us, a pardoning God, a pitying God, a
prayer-hearing God, a liberal God; yea, it takes him up as

XII.] GOD IN CHRIST, A GOD OF LOVE. 367

our God in Christ, saying, " My God, my Father, and the
Rock of my salvation." Now, I say, this is the view in which
faith presents God to the soul; and this makes the soul to fol-
low hard after God, and the desire of the soul to be to him,
and the remembrance of his name.

9. See, from this doctrine, whence it is that God's com-
mandments are not grievous, why his yoke is easy, and his
burden is light : why, the believer sees them to be the com-
mandments of love ; and love sweetens every thing, and makes
every thing easy and pleasant. The love that Jacob had to
Rachel, made his seven years' service to appear but a few
days: so here it is love that commands, and love obeys; and
this makes obedience sweet and easy: and it is the want of
due uptakings of God as a God of love, and of his command-
ments as the commandments of love, that makes them into-
lerable and burdensome to the wicked and ungodly. Why
do they "break his bands, and cast away his cords from
them ? " Why, they have no consideration of God as a God
of love ; they take him up as an enemy, and, therefore, any
obedience they give him is but slavish.

10. See from this doctrine, what a lightsome and heart-
some dwelling-place the believer has: why, he dwells in
God; God is his dwelling-place: "He dwells in the secret
place of the Most High, and abides under the shadow of the
Almighty:" and that is in the midst of love; for God is love,
" and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God." Oh what
a lightsome dwelling is the bosom of infinite love ! and " he
carries his lambs in his bosom." Perhaps, believer, you " so-
journ in Mesech, and dwell in the tents of Kedar, thy soul
dwells with them that hate peace." But here is thy com-
fort; thou dwellest in love, dwellest in God, who is love;
thou liest in his bosom: and this may bear up thy spirits: for
though in the world thou mayst be hated, and have tribula-
tion, yet in him thou hast peace.

11. See from this doctrine the difference between the law
and the gospel: why, the law presents God as an absolute
God, in which respect he is a consuming fire to the workers
of iniquity: he is a revenging God: but the gospel presents
God to our view as a God of love and grace, with whom
compassions flow towards miserable sinners. Indeed, we that
are ministers of the gospel are bound to preach the law, to
stand upon Mount Sinai and Ebal, and to proclaim the curses
of the broken covenant of works against Christless sinners:
but when we do so, our design is just to scare you from the
law as a covenant, to lead you off from " the mount that burns
with fire," from " blackness, and darkness, and tempest," that
you may fly to mount Zion, and to the blood of sprinkling,

368 GOD IN CHRIST, A GOD OF LOVE. [SER.

and in him to God, the Judge of all, that through his atoning
blood you may find him to be a God of love.

Use second of this doctrine, is by way of exhortation.

1. Is it so that God is love? Is God in Christ a God of
love? Oh! then, sirs, believe the report of the gospel: Oh!
receive it as " a faithful saying, and worthy of all accepta-
tion," that God in Christ is love: and do not receive it upon
my testimony, but receive it upon the testimony or the record
of the " three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the
Word, and the Spirit :" a Trinity of persons is witnessing and
declaring to you, that God is love; and, therefore, " set to
your seal that God is true" of what he says of himself; and,
sirs, remember, that if you do not, you make God a liar, be-
cause you "receive not the record that God has given of
himself."

2. My exhortation is, not only to believe this truth con-
cerning God, but, oh! eat it, (as Jeremiah did,) and let it be
" the joy and rejoicing of your heart." Eat it, say you ; what
is that? how can we eat it? I answer, The way to eat it,
is to apply and bring it home to your own souls. Oh, sirs,
there is much food for faith in this little word, God is love.
Oh! may faith say, is God love? then surely he will make
me welcome to his table: he is a God of infinite bounty and
liberality in Christ, and he will give that which is good; a
God of love will give grace and glory, and no good thing
will he withhold from his people.

3. Is God in Christ a God of love? yea, love itself? Oh!
then, put your trust in him. This is the use the Spirit of
God would have you to make of this doctrine, Psal. xxxvi.
7 : (a sweet and remarkable word,) " How excellent is thy
loving-kindness, O God! therefore the children of 'men put
their trust under the shadow of thy wings." Oh, sinners ! the
wings of a God of love are spread out to you, and his bowels
are sending out a sound after you in this glorious gospel; and
his hand is stretched out to you in this gospel, saying, " Be-
hold me, behold me." Oh! do not run away from him as
an enemy, but trust him as a friend that bears good-will to-
wards you. What is it, O man, that a God of love in Christ
is not ready to grant to thee? Dost thou want garments to
cover the shame of thy nakedness? a God of love is ready
to grant thee this. Perhaps thou hast some thoughts of
coming to a communion-table; but thou art afraid lest thou
be found naked in his presence, and the Master of the feast
say unto thee, " Friend, how earnest thou in hither, not having
a wedding garment?" Is this thy case? O put your trust
in a God of love through Christ, and he will clothe you with
"the garments of salvation, and with the robes of righteous-

XII.] GOD IN CHRIST, A GOD OF LOVE. 369

ness." Dost thou want a pardon for sin ? art thou a broken
bankrupt, that owes thousands of talents to the law and justice
of God ? Art thou crying, " Mine iniquities are gone over
mine head; as a heavy burden, they are too heavy for me?"
Well, a God of love is a pardoning God : and therefore trust
him for the pardon of thy sins ; for he says, " I, even I, am
he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and
will not remember thy sins." Oh, may you say, I am a poor
captive, I am in chains, under the fetters of captivity to my
spiritual enemies ; the bonds of iniquity are wreathed about
my soul. Well, a God of love proclaims "liberty tathe cap-
tives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound ;"
and, therefore, O trust him, and he will make thee to share
of the glorious liberty of his own children ; he will make thy
chains and fetters to fall off from thee. Art thou a black and
ugly sinner, by lying among the pots, black like the Ethio-
pian, spotted like the leopard 1 Well, put thy trust under the
wings of a God of love ; for he says, " though thou hast lien
among the pots, I will make thee as the wings of a dove co-
vered with silver, and her feathers with yellow gold. — I will
sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean." Art
thou a diseased sinner, full of bruises and putrefying sores !
Well, put thy trust in a God of love in Christ : for his name is
Jehovah Rophi, " I am the Lord that healeth thee." Art thou
a poor wandering bewildered sinner, that hast lost thy way to
heaven, and hast gone astray like a lost sheep? Well, come,
put your trust in a God of love : for he has " compassion on
the ignorant, and on them that are out of the way;" a God
of love in Christ has said, that he will " lead the blind," &c,
and that he will make " the wayfaring man, though a fool, to
walk without erring." Art thou a treacherous dealer, that
hast " gone a whoring after other lovers," prostrated thyself
to every vile lust ? Well, come yet and put thy trust under
the wings of a God of love ; for his voice unto you is, Jer. iii.
1, " Though thou hast played the harlot with many lovers,
yet return again to me." He is crying from the top of the
high places this day, " Return, O backsliding Israel ; for I am
married unto thee. For I will heal thy backslidings, and love
thee freely, and receive thee graciously." So, then, I say,
whoever thou art, or whatever thou art, I invite and call you
to trust under the wings of a God of love, because of the ex-
cellency of his loving kindness. And for motives, consider,
1st, That you cannot do a God of love a greater pleasure.
Would you please God to-day, or oblige his very heart?
Well, trust him as a God of love ; for " he taketh pleasure in
them that fear him, in those that hope in his mercy," or that
trust in him as a God of love.

370 GOD IN CHRIST, A GOD OF LOVE. [SER.

2dly, Would you be fed, yea, feasted, this day, at a com-
munion-table, with the fatness of God's house, with fat things
full of marrow ? Oh ! then, here is the way to it ; put your
trust in a God of love, come in under his wings : Psal. xxxvii.
3 : " Trust in the Lord, and do good ; so shalt thou dwell in
the land, and verily thou shalt be fed." You see you have
not only his promise, that you shall be fed, but his promise
supported and ratified by a. strong asseveration, Verily, thou
shalt be fed. Would you be fed with the blessings of heaven,
the blessings of a well-ordered covenant, the sure mercies of
David ! Oh ! then, trust in a God of love ; for " blessed are
all they that trust in him," Psal. Ixxxiv. 12. Would you have
languishing grace revived, brought into a thriving and bloom-
ing condition? Oh! then, trust in a God of love, Jer. xvii. 7,
8 : " Blessed is the man that trusteth in the Lord, and whose
hope the Lord is. For he shall be as a tree planted by the
waters, and that spreadeth out her roots by the river, and
shall not see when heat cometh, but her leaf shall be green,
and shall not be careful in the year of drought, neither shall
cease from yielding fruit." Would you be filled with peace ?
then trust in a God of love : Is. xxvi. 3 : " Thou wilt keep him
in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee ; because he
trusteth in thee." Would you be filled with the joys of God's
salvation? then trust in a God of love: Psal. xiii. 5 : " I have
trusted in thy mercy, my heart shall rejoice in thy salvation."
In a word, not to insist, trust in a God of love, and you shall
never perish : " none perish that trust in him:" you shall ne-
ver be confounded nor dismayed; and he will never forsake
you: " Thou, Lord, hast not forsaken them that seek thee,
and trust in thee." You shall have all needful preparation
for a communion table ; for " the preparation of the heart,
and answer of the tongue, comes from him." So, then, I say,
trust in a God of love. I think it is enough to engage you
all to trust him, to repeat the text, and to say, God is love.
If any of you apprehend a man to be your enemy, in that case
you will have no trust to put in him ; but if you be once per-
suaded he loves you, and wants only an opportunity to do you
all the service he can, in that case you will trust him with
assured confidence. Well, sirs, we tell you, that God is not
only a friend, bearing good-will to you, but he is love, love
itself; love is the imperial or commanding attribute of his na-
ture : O, how excellent is his loving kindness ! therefore, let
the sons of men, let sinners and saints, put their trust under
the shadow of his wings.

4. A fourth exhortation from the text is this : Is it so, that
a God in Christ is a God of love? Oh, then, sirs, reciprocate
vour love on a God of love, and render him love for love

XII.] GOD I\ CHRIST, A GOD OF LOVE. 371

" This is the first and great commandment" of the moral law,
and the sum of the first table of the law, Matth. xxii. 37, 38 :
" Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and
with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy
mind." Here is the most reasonable and just command that
ever was. What can be more reasonable than to love him,
who is not only lovely, but love itself, and whose love runs
out towards us in such a surprising and astonishing way?
Sure I am, it is your " reasonable service," to love him with
all thy heart, soul, strength, and mind. And, sirs, this is a
command which, to obey, I am sure will not be painful ; for,
when God commands you to love him, he commands you to
make yourselves happy ; for the very happiness of the ration-
al soul lies in the outgoings of God's love to you, and the out-
goings of your love and affections towards him. Oh, sirs!
love to a God of love "is the fulfilment of the law;" you per-
form all duties, and exercise all graces at once, when you get
your hearts drawn out in love to a God in Christ. What is
faith, but love trusting and confiding in the beloved object?
What is hope, but love expecting and longing after the en-
joyment of him? What is patience, but love bearing and
suffering what a God of love lays on? What is humility,
but love lying at the feet of a God of love ? What is heaven-
ly-mindedness, but love soaring, as upon eagles' wings, after
a God of love? What is zeal, but love inflamed with desire
to serve a God of love? ,What are all good works, but love
displaying itself in actions of obedience to the commands of
a God of love? What is it to communicate? It is just to
show forth the dying love of a God of love. What is it to
pray, but to offer up our desires to a God of love ? What is
it to praise, but to give vent to the heart in the commenda-
tion of a God of love ? So that, I say, when you love a God
of love, you, as it were, do all things at once. And then, to
engage and encourage your love, in the very command it-
self he presents himself to thee as thy God, " Thou shalt
love the Lord thy God." Thus, he ushers in the command-
ment of the moral law, with, " I am the Lord thy God, which
have brought thee out of the house of bondage." He is thy
God, not only by creation, as he is the God of all living ; but
he is thy God in covenant, thy God in Christ: and when he
says, " I am thy God," he in effect says, All that I am, all
that I have, all that I can do, I make over to you in an ever-
lasting covenant, which shall never be broken. Oh, sirs ! shall
not all this kindle a flame of love in your bosoms to a God of
love? This is a large field, and would admit of a great en-
largement: but, that I may not hinder the great work of the
day, I shall proceed no farther. The Lord bless what has
been said, and to his name be praise.

372

SERMON XIII.

UNBELIEF ARRAIGNED AND CONDEMNED AT THE BAR OF GOD.*

John xvi. 8, 9. — And when he is come, he will convince the world of sin, and
of righteousness, and of judgment: of sin, because they believe not on me.

He that believeth not, is condemned already. — John hi. 18.

Christ having, in the preceding verse, declared the great
end and design of his mission by the Father, or of his mani-
festation in our nature; namely, not that he should " condemn
the world; but that the world through him might be saved;"
in the verse where my text lies, deduces a two-fold inference
therefrom. The first is very sweet and comfortable, in the
former part of the verse ; " He that believeth on him, is not
condemned;" that is, he who falls in with the great end of
my manifestation in the nature of man, he who gives me my
errand, by intrusting his lost and ruined soul into my hand,
although he be a sinner, and a great sinner, though the law
and justice of God be pursuing him, for the many millions of
talents he is owing : yet the process shall be stopped, the judg-
ment arrested, the sentence of the broken law cancelled, in-
somuch that he cannot come into condemnation ; and if he
be not condemned, he must be absolved and acquitted. I, as
his Surety, have paid the debt, and obtained the discharge
under the hand of justice ; I was made sin for him, that he
might be made the righteousness of God in me: and, there-
fore, who can lay any thing to his charge?

The second inference, drawn from the design of the incar-
nation of the Son of God, is very terrible and awful ; and you
have it in the words I design to insist a little upon, He that
believeth not, is condemned already. For which there is a
very relevant reason given, in the close of the verse: "Be-
cause he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten
Son of God."

It is the middle clause of the verse on which I am to speak —

* Preached at the Tolbooth Church of Edinburgh, March 2, 1727.

XIII.] UNBELIEF ARRAIGNED, ETC. AT THE BAR OF GOD. 373

He that believeth not, is condemned already. Where we may
notice, (1.) A capital crime chargeable upon most of gospel
hearers, not believing. (2.) An awful sentence passed against
the criminal; he is condemned. (3.) The quality of the sen-
tence implied in that expression, condemned already. Which
may point either at the certainty of the unbeliever's condem-
nation: it is not simply a thing future, or to be done; but it
is done already. The sentence is pronounced and gone forth
against him, from the mouth of the righteous Judge ; yea, not
only is sentence passed, but is partly executed, the law having
delivered him over, in a way of righteous judgment, into the
power and dominion of sin, which is spiritual death. Or, the
word already may point at the severity of the unbeliever's
sentence; his sin is of such a deep dye, of such a criminal
nature, that the Judge cannot sit with it, as he doth with
other sins, Psal. 1. 21. It offers such indignity to his beloved
Son, the darling of his soul, that he cannot shun to adjudge
the panel to immediate death. Or, the word may intimate
this much to us, that the sentence of the broken law stands
in full force and vigour against the unbelieving sinner, for all
his other sins: he despises the only remedy, the only sacrifice
for sin; and therefore every sinful thought, word, and action,
exposes him to the just vengeance of a righteous God, in
time, and through endless eternity.

My doctrine is, "That every unbeliever is a sentenced and
condemned criminal before God. Or, take it, if you will, in
the very words of the text, He that believeth not, is condemned
already."

Here, through divine assistance, I shall speak,

I. Of the crime.

II. Of the sentence.

III. Of the grounds on which the sentence is founded.

IV. Deduce some inferences from the whole.

I would speak a little of the crime, which is unbelief, by
invinff some account of it, 1. In its nature; 2. In its causes.

As for the first, namely, the nature of unbelief. Before I
proceed to show in what it consists, to prevent mistakes, I
shall name a few things, which will not amount to this heavy
charge in God's reckoning, whatever they may sometimes do
in the court of an erring or misinformed conscience.

1. Unbelief does not lie in a person's being in the dark as
to his actual union with Christ, or interest in him. A real
believer may want the sensible assurance of God's love, and
yet, at the same time, be acting faith with an assurance of
appropriation upon the promise of a reconciled God in Christ.

vol. i. 32

374 UNBELIEF ARRAIGNED AND CONDEMNED [SER.

Sense may be saying, as in the case of Heman, Psal. Ixxxviii.
" Thou hast laid me in the lowest pit, in darkness, in the deeps.
I am afflicted and ready to die, from my youth up: while I
suffer thy terrors, I am distracted." And yet faith breathing
out its appropriating act, and saying, "O Lord God of my
salvation;" it will look in the face of a hiding and smiting
God, and say, " Though he should slay me, yet will I trust in
him." And, seeing it is so, it must needs follow, that unbe-
lief does not lie in a person's being in the dark as to his actual
interest in Christ; to say so, were to "offend against the ge-
neration of the righteous," who may be "trusting in the name
of the Lord, and staying themselves upon their God, while
they walk in darkness, and see no light."

2. Unbelief does not lie in the interruption of the actings
and exercise of faith. We find the faith of the most eminent
saints many times interrupted in its exercise, through the
prevalency of temptation and indwelling corruption. Psal.
ixxvii. 7, &c, the Inly man there, in a fit of unbelief, cries,
" Hath God forgotten to be gracious ? doth his promise fail
for evermore?" David, in the like case, gives the lie to a
God of truth, through the sides of all his prophets, Psal. cxvi.
10, 11: "I said in my haste, All men are liars." This was
indeed a pang of unbelief; but it did not argue unbelief in its
reign. Many times faith is laid asleep in its habit, while yet
the life of it remains; like Samson in the hands of the Philis-
tines, though his life was continued, yet the locks, in which
his strength lay, were cut off.

3. This unbelief, of which I speak, does not consist in a
disbelief of some particular truths of the word, through igno-
rance, providing they be not fundamental. Every error in
the head, through ignorance, does not destroy the being of
faith in the heart; no more than every miscarriage in the
life, through weakness, destroys the being and reality of the
grace of God in the soul. The apostles, we find, all the time
of Christ's life, yea, after his resurrection also, were in an
error as to the nature of the Messiah's kingdom, imagining
that it was to be modelled after the fashion of the kingdoms
of this world; neither did they believe the universal call and
offer of the gospel to the Gentile nations, as well as to the
Jews, until they were convinced of their error by Peter's
vision. But, notwithstanding of this error of theirs, they be-
lieved in Christ as the promised Messiah, and rested on him
as the Saviour of the world.

4. I do not here speak of the negative unbelief of the Hea-
then world, who never had the benefit of gospel revelation :
" How shall they believe," (says the apostle, Rom. x. 14,) "in
him of whom they have not heard?" Their unbelief, or in-

XIII.] AT THE BAR OF GOD. 375

fidelity, is more properly their punishment than their sin.
They can no more be punished for not believing in Christ,
than a man can be condemned for not seeing the sun at mid-
night, when it is in the other horizon ; or than a man can be
blamed for not receiving a gift that was never offered to him.
So that, it is not the negative unbelief of the Heathens of which
I now speak, but the positive unbelief of those who sit under
the light of the glorious gospel.

But, say you, seeing none of these will amount to the charge
of unbelief, in what does it consist 1 Jlnsw. There are three
things, any one of which will amount to this capital crime : —

1. A denial of the truth of the gospel; looking upon the
word of God, contained in the scriptures, as a fiction, or a
cunningly devised fable. I am very suspicious there are un-
believers of this stamp among those who are called by the
name of Christians ; men pretending to be great masters of
reason, who, because their weak and depraved minds cannot
grasp the unsearchable mysteries of our holy religion, do,
therefore, turn infidels, and reject the whole as an incredible
paradox. This very thing upon which they stumble, proves
it to be of a divine original. The unsearchable wisdom that
appears in every one of the works of God, proves them to be
indeed his works, and not the works of any created being.
And shall it be imagined, that there is less wisdom in his
words than in his works, when they are the more immediate
product and picture of his infinite understanding, which can
never be searched out 1 Here, if any where, we may expect
the "deep things of God; the wisdom of God in a mystery,
which none of the princes of this world knew."

2. A doubting or wavering uncertainty of mind about the
truths of the gospel, will amount to this crime of unbelief
pointed at in my text. There are some, who, though they
do not go the length of denying flatly that the Bible is the
word of God, or that the gospel is of a divine original,
yet they waver, and are in suspense about it ; like the wor-
shippers of Baal, they "halt between two opinions;" they nei-
ther believe nor disbelieve it; but are like the scales of an
even balance, ready to turn either to this or the other side.
Such are unbelievers, in Christ's reckoning; for "he that is
not with me," says he, " is against me."

3. When, though a person may be convinced in his mind,
by rational arguments, that the Bible is the word of God,
that the gospel is of a divine extract, yet does not fall in with
the great design of the scriptures, by receiving Christ, and
resting upon him alone for salvation, as he is there presented
and discovered. We have the design of the whole word of
God expressed in one verse, John xx. 31: "These things are

376 UNBELIEF ARRAIGNED AND CONDEMNED [SER.

written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ the Son
of God, and that believing ye might have life through his
name." And therefore when Christ is not received as the
promised Messiah, the Saviour of the world, and actually
improved for these ends and uses for which he is revealed
and exhibited in the word; particularly for "wisdom, right-
eousness, sanctification, and redemption ;" in this case, I say,
a person falls under the heavy charge of unbelief, and is con-
demned already. This last is the unbelief which I take to
be principally pointed at in my text, and is most frequent and
prevalent among the hearers of the gospel. So much for the
nature of unbelief.

I come, secondly, to inquire a little into some of its causes;
and, among many that might be named, I shall only mention
these few: —

1. The devil has a great hand in it. Faith is the great
engine by which his kingdom and interest is overthrown in
the world; and therefore he studies, by might and main, to
keep the sinner under the power of unbelief: for which end,
he uses a great many wiles and stratagems. His first and
principal care is, to hush the house, and keep it in peace and
quiet. In order to this, he persuades the man that his state
is good enough; that, though he be a sinner, yet his sins are
but small and venial; and that it cannot consist with the jus-
tice of God to pursue such small sins with eternal punishment.
If, notwithstanding these surmises, the man's conscience can-
not be satisfied, but it begins to awaken, challenge, and smite
him, he studies to lay him asleep again, with the prospect of
general and absolute mercy. If, again, this lying refuge be
beat down by the hail of divine terrors, he betakes himself to
another artifice; he conceals and hides the attribute of mercy,
presenting God to the soul as an implacable and inexorable
Judge, who will by no means acquit the guilty ; and thus, by
hiding the remedy, he studies to drive the sinner to despair.
And, indeed, the devil is much more skilled in representing
the justice than the mercy of God to a sinner's view, being
an utter stranger to the last, but well acquainted with the first
from his sad experience. But whatever views he gives of
God to the sinner, whether in his justice or mercy, his design
is still to carry the soul off from Christ, and the mercy of
God running in the channel of his satisfactory blood. By
presenting absolute mercy, he encourages the sinner to go on
in sin, hoping to be saved, though he never be sanctified by
the Spirit of Christ. . When he presents the justice of God,
he studies to drive the sinner to a hopeless despair of salva-
tion by his atoning blood ; and thereupon the sinner either
with Judas runs to a halter for ease, or puts on a desperate

XIII.] AT THE BAR OF GOD. 377

resolution, that if he be damned, he shall be damned for
something, and so takes a full swing in gratifying his lusts,
crying with those, Jer. ii. 25, " There is no hope. We have
loved strangers, and after them will we go." If, notwith-
standing the utmost arts and efforts of hell, the remedy be
discovered to the sinner, namely, Christ, as the alone founda-
tion God hath laid in Zion; then the enemy has another
stratagem at hand to discourage the poor sinner from making
use of Christ: he persuades the man that he is not fit eriough
for Christ; he must be so humble, so holy, so penitent, and
have this and the other qualification, before he venture to
come to Christ. O if I were sanctified, mortified, self-denied,
washed, then Christ would make me welcome. This is no-
thing but an artifice of hell, for the ruin of souls, persuading
sinners that they must bring money and price with them to
Christ; that they must have such and such things before they
come to Christ, which are only to be got by an actual union
with him by faith. Thus, I say, the devil has a great hand
in unbelief; it being the very strength of his kingdom; and
so long as he keeps this hold in safety, he is very easy what
shapes of morality, civility, or profession, a man may cast
himself into; for he well knows that "he who believes not,
shall be damned," let him do else whatever he pleases.

2. Ignorance is another great cause of unbelief. " My
people," says the Lord, "are destroyed for lack of know-
ledge." Ignorance of God, in his holiness, justice, and other
adorable excellencies ; ignorance of the law of God in its
purity, extent, and spirituality; ignorance of sin in its exceed-
ing sinfulness; ignorance of the great mystery of godliness,
the union of the two natures in the person of our wonderful
Immanuel; ignorance of his substitution in the room of sin-
ners, and of that everlasting and law-magnifying righteous-
ness he has brought in by his obedience unto the death;
ignorance of the free access sinners have to Christ, and his
whole salvation, in and by a confirmed testament or promise,
which is put in their hands, and left to them, Heb. iv. 1,
that they may use and claim the benefit of it in a way of be-
lieving: I say, the god of this world "blinds the minds of
them which believe not," that they may not know "the things
which belong to their eternal peace;" he is afraid, "lest the
light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of
God, should shine into their hearts." I am persuaded, did
sinners but know how near Christ, and his purchased salva-
tion, are brought to them by the gospel, there would not be
so many unbelievers among us. People generally look on
Christ, and eternal life in him, as things that are far out of
their reach; and thereupon they turn careless and easy about

32*

378 UNBELIEF ARRAIGNED AND CONDEMNED [SER.

them, having no hope of ever attaining them, being things
too high and great for them. ' But, O sirs, this is only a veil
or mist cast before your eyes, by the great enemy of your
salvation, that you may not see your own mercy; for were
your eyes opened, you would see Christ, and all the blessings
of his purchase, brought, as it were, within the very reach of
your hand. The manna is lying round your tent-door, and
you have no more ado but to gather and use it, Is. xlvi. 13;
Rom. x. 7, 8; John vi. 32.

3. Pride is another great cause of unbelief. This is just
the poison of the old serpent, who being " lifted up with pride,
fell into condemnation." By pride he ruined all mankind at
first; Ye shall be as gods; and by pride he still keeps us under
his power: hence we read of high and towering imagina-
tions in the heart of man, which "exalt themselves against
the knowledge of Christ." There is a pride in the heart of
man, by nature, which stands directly opposite to the way of
salvation by grace: God is willing to give life, but we will
needs merit and deserve it : God will have all to be of grace,
that boasting may be excluded; but we will have all in a
way of debt, that we may have whereof to glory. What,
says the proud heart, will ever God give, or shall I take,
eternal life for nothing? No, I will not have it, unless God
will accept some equivalent, some service or work for it.
"Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams'?" &c.
The pride of the heart will set a man at work to do or suffer
any thing for life and salvation, rather than believe in Christ,
and be saved in a way of grace; as we see in the case of
the poor deluded Papists. They will rather quit their king-
doms and thrones, put themselves into monasteries, lie on
hair, live on alms, tire themselves with saying the book of
Psalms over once every twenty-four hours; and for that end
break their sleep, by rising twice or thrice a night, saying so
many prayers to the Virgin Mary, and to this and the other
saint; they will whip themselves, tear their bodies, go into
penances and long pilgrimages: all this, and much more,
will they do, for pardon and salvation, rather than take
God's method, which is to receive eternal life, as the free
gift of God, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Whence comes
all this stir, but only from the pride of our hearts, which will
stoop to any thing of our own devising, though ever so base
and mean, rather than stoop to be saved in a way of grace?
That is a strange instance of the pride of the heart, which
we have, Rom. x. 3, where it is said of the proud self-right-
eous Jews, "they went about to establish their own righteous^
ness, and would not submit unto the righteousness of God."
0 strange! shall a poor naked beggar, that has not a rag to

XIII.] AT THE BAR OF GOD. 379

cover him, reckon it submission or humility in him to accept
of a robe? Shall a condemned malefactor reckon it submis-
sion to receive the king's pardon? the captive to accept of
liberty? or a man mortally wounded to accept of a healing
balm? Yet this is the very case with us: through the pride
of our hearts we will not submit to the righteousness of God,
but will needs establish a righteousness of our own. Nature,
though assisted by external revelation, can never think of
another way of salvation than that of the first Adam, namely,
by doing and working. To be saved and justified by the
doing and dying of another, is a mystery which flesh and
blood cannot receive, till the strength of natural pride be
broken by the almighty power of God. Men naturally will
wear no other garment than that which, like the spider, they
spin out of their own bowels. But what says God, Is. lix. 6?
" Their webs shall not become garments, neither shall they
cover themselves with their works." Man will needs enter
into life and glory, by the door of the law, which God has
condemned and barred against all mankind since the fall;
"for by the works of the law shall no flesh living be justi-
fied." Sirs, allow me to tell you, that God never designed to
bring man to life by the law, or the works of the law: no,
the law of works was only intended as a scaffold, by which
he meant to rear up a house of mercy, in which he designed
to harbour a company of broken debtors and bankrupts, that
they might live upon his charity and grace for ever: and
immediately upon the entrance of sin, the scaffold of the law
as a covenant was taken down, and broken in pieces. Oh !
what devilish pride is it in us, to attempt the rebuilding of
the scaffold, that we may climb up to heaven by it, rather
than enter the threshold of the house of mercy, which God
has resolved shall be built up for ever! Psal. lxxxix. 2. Sirs,
allow me to tell you, however high you may climb heaven-
ward upon the scaffold of the law, in your own conceit, and
in the esteem of others; yet you shall be cast down into hell,
like Capernaum. Your house being built upon the sand, it
will fall, and great will be the fall thereof "The day of the
Lord of hosts shall be upon every one that is proud and lofty;
and the loftiness of man shall be bowed down, and the haugh-
tiness of men shall be made low: and the Lord alone shall be
exalted," Is. ii.

4. A pretended humility and self-denial is another great
bar in the way of believing to many. They thrust away
Christ and the mercy of God from them, under a pretence
that they are not fit for it. O! says the man, I am such a
hell-deserving sinner, my sins are so great, that I dare not
think of coming to Christ; he was never intended for the

380 UNBELIEF ARRAIGNED AND CONDEMNED [sER*

like of me. This carries a fair show of humility and self-
denial, while it is only a devil of pride, transforming himself
into an angel of light. You say you are not worthy of the
mercy of God. I answer, It is very true; but then you
should consider, that mercy could not be mercy, if you were
worthy of it; it would be merit, and not mercy: grace would
not be grace, but debt, if you could deserve it. This way of
thinking or speaking is quite subversive of a covenant of
grace, where Christ, and all the blessings of his purchase, are
made over to us, in the form of a testamentary deed, or free
gift and legacy. "I will be their God, and they shall be my
people: I will take away the stony heart; I will sprinkle
them with clean water," &c. In these, and the like absolute
and unlimited promises, the grace and favour of God in a
Redeemer comes to every man's door, be who or what he
will; and by these great and precious promises, we must re-
ceive Christ, and apply him in a suitableness to our soul's need,
or perish for ever. And to refuse Christ, and his salvation ten-
dered in the word of grace, under this pretext, that we are
great sinners, is all one, as if a traitor should refuse his
prince's pardon, because he has been in arms against him ;
or as if one should refuse to accept of a free discharge, be-
cause he is a bankrupt, drowned in debt.

5. A secret jealousy, as if God were not in good earnest
with us, when he offers Christ and his salvation to us in the
gospel. I am afraid that this lies at bottom with many; they
do not really believe, that God is willing to bestow his Christ,
and salvation through him, upon them, though he be every
day calling, commanding, beseeching, and entreating them to
embrace him. But, sirs, what else is this, but to charge God
with treachery and disingenuousness, as if he said one thing
in his word, and intended another in his heart? God says,
"He is not willing that you should perish;" yea, he swears
by his life, that he has no pleasure in your death, but rather
that you turn unto him, through a Redeemer, and live: and
yet, to think or say that he is not in good earnest, what else
is this, but to make God a liar, yea, to charge him with per-
jury? And what an insufferable affront is this to a God of
truth, for whom "it is impossible to lie?" We cannot ofi'er
a greater indignity to a man than to call him a liar; yea, if
we but insinuate a jealousy of his veracity and ingenuousness,
it is enough to exasperate and enrage his spirits; for "jea-
lousy," says Solomon, "is the rage of a man:" and how, then,
shall we imagine that God will sit with it? O, sirs! be per-
suaded that God speaks the truth in his heart; his words of
grace and truth in the scripture, are the sweet picture of his
thoughts. And, therefore, beware of harbouring the least

XIII.] AT THE BAR OF GOD. 381

jealousy in your hearts, as if he were not in good earnest
when he offers his Christ to you, and commands you to re-
ceive him, and his whole salvation.

6. People finding peace and ease in some one thing or
other on this side of Christ, is another great cause of unbelief.
Pei'haps the man has had some challenges and awakenings;
upon which, he falls to his prayers, vows, promises, resolu-
tions, to be a better man in time coming, and better servant
to God; upon this he finds quiet and ease, and there he rests,
without ever coming to the blood of the Lamb. But, sirs, as
sure as God lives, this is but a refuge of lies, a hiding place
which "the hail shall sweep away." Do not mistake me; I
am not dissuading you from duties, but only persuading you
not to rest in your duties; let duties be as wagons to carry
your souls to Christ, who is the end of the laic, and of all the
duties it enjoins; for when you rest in them as a righteousness
or ground of acceptance before God, they become a bar in
the way of your coming to Christ, and they prove soul-damn-
ing and ruining things, instead of being the causes or means
of salvation. And, therefore, go a little farther than these;
do not make a plaster of them to heal the wound of con-
science; for if your healing do not come from under the wings
of the sun of righteousness, the wound will fester, and prove
deadly in the issue. Let him only be the well-spring of your
comfort, who is the consolation of Israel, and in whom all our
well-springs are. We read of the brook Cherith, which sup-
plied the prophet Elijah with water, for a time ; but, at length,
the brook dried up, and he had perished, unless God had
brought him to a spring of water. Just so it is with many:
they lie for a long time by the brooks of their own duties;
and finding some sort of ease and comfort there, conscience
is pacified, and they rejoice, because they think God will pity
and save them, while they have done as well as they can.
But, depend on it, these brooks will dry up, and your souls
will starve and perish for ever, if you do not, by faith, come
to the fountain opened in the house of David, and draw wa-
ter out of this well of salvation. O come, sirs, to this open
and overflowing fountain: "Whosoever will, let him come,
and drink of the waters of life freely." here you shall
find water in the time of the greatest drought, Is. xli. 17:
" When the poor and needy seek water," in duties, ordinances,
and created comforts, " and there is none, and their tongue
faileth for thirst, I, the Lord, will hear them — I, the God of
Israel, will not forsake them." Jer. xvii. 7, 8: "Blessed is
the man that trusteth in the Lord, and whose hope the Lord
is. For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and that
spreadeth out her roots by the river, and shall not see when

382 UNBELIEF ARRAIGNED AND CONDEMNED (jSER.

heat cometh; but her leaf shall be green; and shall not be
careful in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yield-
ing fruit." So, then, beware of resting on this side of Christ.
Many other causes of unbelief might be descanted upon; but
I wave them at present.

II. The second general head proposed was, to give some
account of the condemnatory sentence passed against this crime
of unbelief . The unbeliever is condemned already. Here I
shall, 1. Prove that sentence is passed. 2. Show in what
courts it is passed. 3. Give some qualities of the sentence.

First, I would prove that sentence is passed against the
unbeliever. I need not stand to prove this, when it lies so
plain and clear in the text: He that believeth not, is condemned
already. The word rendered to condemn, is forensic, bor-
rowed from courts of justice, where the malefactor, or guilty
person, is arraigned and indicted before the judge, his crime
made legally evident, and then sentence passed against him,
according to the nature and demerit of his crime. So, here,
the unbeliever is, as it were, arraigned before the bar of di-
vine justice; process is led against him, and he found guilty
of the violation of the royal law of Heaven, and of contemn-
ing the glorious remedy provided and offered in the gospel;
and, thereupon, sentence goes forth against him, from the
mouth of the great Judge, who has "justice and judgment for
the habitation of his throne." This man believes not in my
Son, and, therefore, I condemn him to death everlasting; he
rejects the Saviour- of sinners, and, therefore, let him die in
his sins; he would needs seek life by the law as a covenant,
and, therefore, let the curse of that covenant lie on him for
ever. See, to the same purpose, the last verse of this chap-
ter : " He that believeth not the Son, shall not see life ; but
the wrath of God abideth on him."

Secondly, I come to tell you in what courts the unbeliever
is condemned.

1. Then, he is already condemned in the court of the law
as a covenant, by which he is seeking to be justified and
saved: Rom. iii. 19: "Now we know, that what things soe-
ver the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law :
that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may be-
come guilty before God." Every unbeliever is upon a law
foundation; he is seeking salvation and righteousness by the
works of the law, by some good thing or other, which he ap-
prehends to be in him, or done by him, or which he hopes to
do. But I may say to you, who are of this law-spirit, as
Christ said to the self-righteous Pharisees, John v. 45: "There
is one that accuseth you, even Moses, in whom ye trust;"
where, by Moses, we must understand the law of Moses.

XIII.] AT THE BAR OF GOD. 383

The same say I to you, The law accuseth and condemneth,
it is denouncing its heavy anathemas against you, while you
cleave to it as a covenant: "As many as are of the works of
the law, are under the curse; for it is written, Cursed is every
one that continueth not in all things which are written in the
book of the law to do them." While you are out of Christ,
cleaving to the law as a husband, it lays you under the curse
for every and the least failure in obedience. O, sirs ! the ven-
geance of Heaven lies upon you, while you are under the
power of unbelief ; you are cursed in your basket and store,
in soul and body, and all that belongs to you: and the curse
not being causeless, it shall come ; yea, it cleaves to you, and
will cleave to you for ever, unless, by faith, you flee to him
who " hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being
made a curse for us."

2. The unbeliever is already condemned in the gospel-
court. Now, do not mistake this way of speaking, as if, when
I speak of the gospel-court, I meant, that the gospel, strictly
considered, condemned any man : the gospel, like its glorious
Author, " comes not into the world to condemn the world,
but that the world, through" it, "might be saved." Neither
do I mean, as if there were new precepts and penalties in the
gospel, considered in a strict sense, which were never found
in the book or court of the law. This is an assertion which
has laid the foundation for a train of damnable and soul-ru-
ining errors; as of the Antinomian error, in discarding the
whole moral law as a rule of obedience under the gospel;
the Baxterian error, of an evangelical righteousness different
from the imputed righteousness of Christ; the Pelagian and
Arminian error, of a sufficient grace given to every man that
hears the gospel, to believe and repent by his own power.
But when I speak of the unbeliever's being condemned in the
court of the gospel, my meaning is, that the sentence passed
against him in the court of the law, is aggregated and height-
ened by his contempt of gospel grace. All I intend by it is
comprised in that awful word, Heb. ii. 3: "How shall we
escape, if we neglect so great a salvation?" or that, Heb. x.
28, 29 : " He that despised Moses' law, died without mercy,
under two or three witnesses; of how much sorer punishment,
suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden
under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the
covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing'?"

3. The unbeliever is condemned already in the court of his
own conscience. Conscience is God's deputy and vicegerent,
and, in the name and authority of the God of heaven, it keeps
a court in every man's breast, and either approves or con-
demns, accuses or excuses^ according to the views and up-

384 UNBELIEF ARRAIGNED AND CONDEMNED [sER.

takings that it has to the holy law of God. When the law is
only known by conscience, in the letter of it, it condemns
only for sins which lie against the letter of the law ; but when
conscience comes to be irradiated and instructed by the Spi-
rit of God, in the spirituality and extent of the law, then it
condemns even for those spiritual wickednesses, that are of a
more refined nature, and which lodge in the high places of
the soul; of which kind is the sin of unbelief. A natural con-
science, even though assisted by external revelation, will smite
a man for a thousand sins, before it gives him one check for
his unbelief. This seems to be the peculiar province of the
Spirit of God, to "convince the world of sin, because they
believe not in Christ," John xvi. 8, 9. And, O ! when once
conscience, by the direction of the Spirit, begins to smite for
this sin of unbelief, there is no sin in the world that appears
in such a formidable hue; and there is no sin that the worm
of conscience will gnaw a man so much for in hell through
eternity, than that he had a Saviour in his offer, and yet re-
fused him. In a word, let a man be ever so moral and so-
ber, let him have ever so much seeming peace and quiet,
yet he still carries an evil conscience in his breast, till by
faith he comes to get his heart sprinkled from an evil con-
science by the blood of sprinkling, Heb. x. 22.

4. The unbeliever is already condemned in the court of the
church; or, may I call it, in the ministerial court. Ministers,
by virtue of the commission they have received from their
great Lord and Master, must "go and preach the gospel to
every creature." And having acted according to their com-
mission, they must, in the same authority declare, that he who
believes this gospel, shall be saved; he who believeth not, shall
be damned. Indeed, this ministerial sentence is but little re-
garded by a profane and secure world, who are ready to say
or think that our words are but wind. But, whether sinners
hear or forbear, we must, by our commission, declare to the
righteous or believer, "it shall be well with him:" but "wo
unto the wicked, it shall be ill with him; for the rewards of
his hands shall be given him." And when this ministerial
sentence, whether doctrinal or judicial, is faithfully pro-
nounced, whatever men may think of it, it is ratified in hea-
ven: Matth. xvi. 19: "Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth,
shall be bound in heaven; and whatsoever ye shall loose on
earth, shall be loosed in heaven."

5. The unbeliever is condemned in the court of the great
God. It is true, every one of these courts I have mentioned
is his; he sits as supreme Judge in each of them: but they
are only his inferior courts; and while the sinner's sentence
is in dependence before them, there is still access for an ap-

XIII.] AT THE BAR OF GOD. 385

peal by faith to a throne grace, or mercy seat. But when
once a man comes to be personally sifted before the bar of
God at death or judgment, no farther appeal can be admitted ;
the man then goes out of mercy's reach; " he that made him
will have no mercy upon Jiim;" the things that belonged to
his peace are then "for ever hid from his eyes." O that an
unbelieving world may lay this to heart in time, before their
case become absolutely hopeless and helpless: "Consider
this, ye that forget God, lest he tear you in pieces, when there
is none to deliver."

Thirdly, I come to give you a few qualities of this sentence
of condemnation passed against the unbelieving sinner.

1. It is a most mature and deliberate sentence; the sen-
tence is well advised and ripened, before it is pronounced or
executed. "The Lord is a God of judgment," and can do
nothing that is rash or precipitate. " The Lord is a God of
knowledge, and by him actions are weighed;" he ponders
the crime before he sentences the criminal. It was resolved
among the counsels of heaven, from all eternity, that every
unbelieving sinner should be condemned to the "lake which
burneth with fire and brimstone, which is the second death,"
Rev. xxi. 8.

2. It is a most righteous sentence, as will appear when we
come to speak of the grounds upon which it proceeds. O,
sirs, God will be clear when he judges; yea, so clear, that the
guilty panel, before all be done, will be made to subscribe to
the equity of the sentence, and own that his blood is upon his
own head. As justice satisfied, and judgment executed upon
the Surety, is the foundation of a throne of grace, where the
believing sinner is acquitted and absolved; so, vindictive jus-
tice and judgment, terminating on the person of the sinner, is
the habitation of the throne of justice, where the unbeliever
is condemned.

3. It is a most awful and terrible sentence; and it cannot
be otherwise, for it is pronounced by a terrible Judge: "With
God is terrible majesty. He cutteth off the spirit of princes,
and is terrible to the kings of the earth." The sentence goes
forth from a terrible tribunal, a bench clothed with red ven-
geance. The nature of the sentence itself is terrible, for it is
a sentence of condemnation. To be condemned to a natural
or bodily death, is terrible; but to be condemned to eternal
death, to be "punished with everlasting destruction from the
presence of the Lord, and from [or by] the glory of his pow-
er," has a terror in it, that surpasses expression and imagina-
tion.

4. When the sentence comes to be uttered by God against
the unbeliever, personally compeering before his tribunal,

vol. i. 33

386 UNBELIEF ARRAIGNED AND CONDEMNED [SER.

upon the back of death, it becomes an irrevocable sentence,
which shall never be repealed through eternity; it stands ra-
tified for ever: as the tree falls, so will it lie; for God's loving-
kindness is not declared in the grave, nor his faithfulness in
the land of darkness.

III. The third thing in the method was, to inquire into the
grounds of this condemnatory sentence. And, among many
others, I shall instance in the few following.

1. The unbeliever is condemned already, because, by his
unbelief he has offered the highest indignity to a Trinity of
persons in the glorious Godhead, that a creature is capable of.
He despises the love of the Father, who, out of his good- will
and kindness to a lost world, "gave his only begotten Son."
He gives him to be incarnate; he gives him to death; and
gives him and his whole purchase in the revelation of the
gospel, " that whosoever believeth in him, should not perish,
but have everlasting life." But now the unbeliever despises
all the riches of this grace and love, and practically says,
that the unspeakable gift of God is not worthy to be taken up
at his foot. And as he despises the love of the Father, so he
tramples upon the blood of the Son, as if it were an unholy
thing. He says, upon the matter, that Christ shed his blood
in vain; hence, unbelievers are said to "crucify the Son of
God afresh:" they react the bloody tragedy that was once
acted upon Mount Calvary; and, upon the same account, the
unbelieving communicant is said to be "guilty of the body
and blood of the Lord." Again, the unbelieving sinner sins
against the Holy Ghost. I do not mean that every unbeliever
is guilty of the unpardonable sin, for then there would be no
need of preaching the gospel to them. But I mean, that eve-
ry believer, in rejecting Christ, runs directly cross to the
work and office of the Spirit, in the economy of redemption.
It is the office of the Spirit to convince the world of sin, be-
cause they believe not in Christ; but the man is so far from
owning this, that he practically denies unbelief to be any sin at
all. It is the office of the Spirit to convince of righteousness ;
that is, of the necessity and excellency of the righteousness of
Christ for justification : but the unbeliever goes about to esta-
blish a righteousness of his own, and will not submit to this
righteousness of God. It is the office of the Spirit to glorify
Christ, to " take of the things of Christ, and show them unto
us :" But the unbeliever, upon the matter, says, " There is
no form nor comeliness in him, why he should be desired."
Thus, I say, the unbeliever affronts a whole Trinity, Father,
Son, and Holy Ghost; and therefore he is condemned already.
2. The unbeliever is condemned already, because he has
injured all the glorious attributes and perfections of the divine

XIII.] AT THE BAR OF GOD. 387

nature. He rebels against awful and adorable majesty and
sovereignty. The authority of God is, in a peculiar manner,
interposed in the command of believing ; God speaks of this
command as if he had never given another command to the
sons of men, 1 John iii. 23: "This is his commandment, that
we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ." Now,
the unbeliever flies in the face of all this authority, saying,
with proud Pharaoh, "Who is the Lord, that I should obey
him ?" Let the Almighty depart from me ; for I desire not
the knowledge of his ways. Again; the man makes a mock
of the master-piece of Infinite Wisdom, as though it were no-
thing but arrant folly. The device of salvation through a
Redeemer, is the wisdom of God in a mystery; it is hidden
wisdom: but the unbeliever, with the Greeks, calls it foolish-
ness; and, with the Athenians, looks on it as mere babbling,
when it is brought out in a gospel revelation. The unbe-
liever also spurns against the bowels of infinite and amazing
love; yea, as it were, runs a spear into the bowels of a com-
passionate God, which are sending out a sound after him:
" O turn ye, turn ye; why will ye die? As I live, I have no
pleasure in your death." He dares and challenges Omnipo-
tence to its worst, while he refuses to take sanctuary in
Christ, and to turn in to the strong hold, where he may be
sheltered from the storm, wind, and tempest of divine ven-
geance. He laughs at the shaking of God's spear, and the
whetting of his glittering sword. He gives the lie also to the
veracity of God, 1 John v. 10: "He that belie veth not God.
hath made him a liar:" not as if he could do so indeed; for
God will be true, and every man a liar : but the unbeliever
does what he can to make God a liar. This is the language
of his sin, God is a liar, he is not to be trusted, there is no
truth in his words. Which is blasphemy in the highest de-
gree. Thus, I say, the unbelieving sinner injures God in all
his glorious excellencies. And is it any wonder then though
he be condemned already 1

3. Another ground of this awful sentence is, because the
man counteracts, and runs directly cross to the most glorious
designs that ever God had in view; I mean, his designs in
the work of redemption through Christ. I shall only clear
this in two or three instances. (1.) God's design in redemp-
tion was the illustration and manifestation of his own glorious
excellencies, which were sullied or obscured by the sin of
man : but the unbeliever, as was showed just now, does his
utmost to darken and affront every one of them. (2.) God's
design is, that in all things Christ should have the pre-emi-
nency; that he should have "a name above every name, that
at the name of Jesus every knee should bow." But, now, the

388 UNBELIEF ARRAIGNED AND CONDEMNED [sER.

unbeliever, like the devil, being lifted up with pride, refuses to
bow or submit to that name, Jehovah-tsidkenu, The Lord our
righteotisness, Jer. xxiii. 6, Rom. x. 3. He refuses to own or
bow unto that royal name written upon his thigh and vesture,
Rev. xix. 16. The King of kings, and Lord of lords. He
joins in a confederacy with those who refuse to stoop to his
royal sceptre, saying, "Let us break his bands asunder, and
cast away his cords from us," Psal. ii. 3. (3.) God's design
in redemption is, that grace only should reign, and that all
ground of boasting and gloriation should be cut off from man
for ever, so as he that glorieth may glory only in the Lord.
But, now, the unbeliever's language is, Not grace but self
shall reign. He chooses rather to be damned for ever, than
submit to grace's government, "reigning through righteous-
ness unto eternal life, by Jesus Christ our Lord." What, says
the man, will not "God be pleased with thousands of rams?"
&c. If God will give him life for some equivalent, some good
thing wrought in him or by him, he is content; but to take it
for nothing, as the gift of free grace, through Jesus Christ our
Lord, this is too low a bargain for his proud heart to stoop
to. And for this pride of his heart, which makes him to run
cross to God's glorious designs in redemption, he is con-
demned already.

4. He is condemned already, because his sin (I mean his
unbelief) is of a more criminal nature, in God's reckoning,
than any other sin that can be named or thought upon. The
sin of Adam, in eating the forbidden fruit, was a most aggra-
vated crime. For a creature newly dropped out of his Cre-
ator's fingers, a creature dignified with the lively image of
God upon him, exalted to sovereignty over this lower world,
having all things put under his feet: I say, for such a crea-
ture, upon a slender temptation, to turn his back on God, and
casT himself into the devil's arms, to ruin himself and the
whole tribe of mankind at one blow; this, no doubt, was a
most crying sin. But yet the sin of unbelief far surpasses it :
for our first parents sinned only against God* as a Creator;
but the unbeliever sins against him as a Redeemer, conse-
quently, he sins against more love than they could sin against,
before the revelation of Christ. Again; unbelief is more cri-
minal than the sin of the Jews in crucifying of the Lord of
glory; they crucified him when veiled and disguised under
the form of a servant ; but the unbeliever crucifies him upon
his throne, when the evidences of his being the true Messiah
are completed by his resurrection from the dead, Rom. i. 4.
It would be a crime of a far more capital nature, to maltreat
a king sitting on the throne, with all his nobles about him,
than to maltreat him when under a disguise, sitting upon the

XIII.] AT THE BAR OF GOD. 389

dunghill with a company of beggars about him : yet the for-
mer is the case with the unbeliever. Again; unbelief is
worse than the sin of Sodom, which provoked God to rain
hell out of heaven upon its inhabitants. Christ tells us that
Sodom and Gomorrah will have a cold hell in comparison of
those who have had the offers of a Saviour in the gospel, and
yet have rejected him. Matth. xi. 24 : " It shall be more to-
lerable for Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment,
than for" Chorazin, Bethsaida, Capernaum, and other cities
where Christ had preached. Again ; all the sins of the blind-
ed nations are not comparable to the sin of unbelief. We
have a black roll of their sins, Rom. i. toward the close : but
yet Christ speaks of them as no sins, in comparison of the sin
of those who remain in unbelief under the drop of the gospel:
"If I had not come, and spoken unto them, they had not had
sin: but now they have no cloak for their sin." Witchcraft
is a very monstrous sin; for a man or woman to enter into
compact with the devil, and give themselves soul and body to
be his for ever: and yet the unbeliever does the same upon
the matter; for he is in league with hell, and with death is
he at an agreement. I remember, the rebellion of Saul
against the express command of God, ordering him utterly
to destroy the Amalekites, is compai'ed to the sin of witch-
craft, 1 Sam. xv. 23. Now, the unbeliever (as was said)
rebels against the greatest command that was ever issued
out from the throne of the Majesty on high. I shall only add,
that unbelief is a sin attended with aggravations which are
not to be found in the sin of devils. The devil never rejected
a Saviour, as the unbeliever does; for "he took not on him
the nature of angels, but the seed of Abraham." Some think
that the devil, and his angels who joined him, were cast out
of heaven for refusing to be subject to God in man's nature,
when intimation of this design was made in heaven. No
doubt he would have been well enough pleased to subject
himself to God, manifesting himself in the nature of angels;
but to be subject to "God manifested in the flesh," he looked
upon it as a disparagement. But the unbeliever rejects God
appearing in his own nature, saying, " We will not have this
man to rule over us." Is it any wonder, then, though the
unbeliever be condemned already?

5. He is condemned already, because unbelief is the spring
and ringleader of all other sins. Every sin is a turning away
from the living God: and whence comes this, but from an
evil heart of unbelief? Heb. iii. 12. The name of the sin of
unbelief may be Gad, for a troop doth follow it. Why are
men proud? why are their hearts lifted up within them, as if
they were " rich, and increased with goods, and stood in

33*

390 UNBELIEF ARRAIGNED AND CONDEMNED [SER.

need of nothing?" Why, the reason is, they do not believe
the verdict of the Spirit of God concerning them, that they
are indeed "wretched and miserable, and poor, and blind,
and naked." Why are men covetous? why have they the
world set in their hearts, but because they do not believe that
Christ is a better good than this world, and the things of it?
Why are men uncharitable to the poor, but because they do
not believe that what is given to the poor is lent to the Lord,
and that he will pay it again? Why are men secure in a
way of sin, crying, Peace, peace, but because they do not
believe that wrath and destruction from the Lord is pursuing
them? Why is the blessed Bible so much slighted and ne-
glected by many, like an almanack out of date, but because
they do not believe it to be the word of God, or that eternal
life is to be found therein? Why do people generally hear
us, who are ministers, preaching the everlasting gospel, with
such raving hearts and careless ears, but because they do not
believe that we are ambassadors for Christ, and that God
doth beseech them by us to be reconciled unto him? Why
do many live in the neglect of prayer? Why are they so
formal, heartless, and careless in prayer, but because they do
not believe God to be the hearer of prayer? Why are there
so many hypocrites, contenting themselves with a show of
religion, but because they do not believe there is a reality in
religion, and that God searches the heart and tries the reins?
Why do men remain under the power of natural enmity, but
because they do not believe that "God is love," 1 John iv.
16 ; and that, through the ransom he has found, he bears a
hearty good-will toward them? Ezek. xxxiii. 11. Whence
comes that flood of profanity, which, like Jordan, has over-
run all banks and bounds in our day, such as cursing, swear-
ing, cheating, lying, Sabbath-breaking, thefts, robberies, for-
geries, and the like abominations ! Why, the plain reason
is, they do not believe there is a God, or that ever they shall
stand before his tribunal to answer for the deeds done in the
body. The plain language of the heart of unbelief is, " The
Lord doth not see, neither doth the God of Jacob regard ;"
and therefore they give themselves loose reins in a way of
sin.

To conclude this head, unbelief is the principal pillar of
the devil's kingdom in the world, and in the soul of man.
Let this pillar be but broken, and all his strong holds go to
ruin. Faith is the radical grace which gives life and spirit
to all the other graces : it is the spring of all true gospel-
obedience, therefore called the obedience of faith: so, in like
manner, unbelief is the radical sin, which gives life and spirit
to all vicious habits and acts of disobedience in the life and

XIII.] AT THE BAR OF GOD. 391

conversation. Faith is a shield that beats back the fiery
darts of Satan ; so unbelief is a shield that beats back all the
good motions of the Spirit of God. Faith is the victory by
which we overcome the world ; unbelief is the victory by
which the world overcomes us. After all, is it any wonder
though such a severe sentence pass against the unbelieving
sinner, as that in my text, He that believeth not, is condemned
already?

IV. The fourth and last thing proposed, was the applica
tion, which I shall endeavour to discuss in a few inferences.

Inf. 1. See hence a very relevant reason, why ministers
of the gospel harp so much upon the subject of faith or
believing. Why, it is for unbelief, that sinners are con-
demned already ; and there is no way to free them from this
sentence, but by bringing them to believe in the Son of God.
Unbelief is the main pillar of the devil's kingdom ; and there-
fore the main batteries of the gospel must be raised against
it. It is but at best a foolish ignorant cavil of some against
ministers, Why so much insisting upon faith 1 are not other
things as necessary to be preached '! I answer, Other things
are necessary in their own place, but faith or believing in the
first place : and till we bring you to believe, we do nothing
at all, this being the laying of the foundation of all religion;
and, you know, it is foolish to think or speak of rearing up a
superstructure, till the foundation be once laid. Can we ever
make you accepted of God without faith in his Son ? No,
surely, " Without faith it is impossible to please him :" we are
"justified by faith without the works of the law." Can we
ever make you the members of Christ without faith ? No,
this is the very bond of the soul's union with him; "Christ
dwells in our hearts by faith." Can we ever make you the
children of God who are by nature the children of wrath,
without faith? No, "We are the children of God by faith
in Christ Jesus." It is to them who receive him that he gives
■power or privilege to become the sons of God, John i. 12. Let
us press and inculcate the duties of holiness with ever such
flourishing harangues of rhetoric, we shall never make you
holy, till we once land you in Christ by faith, he being the
fountain and root of holiness ; therefore said to be " made of
God unto us sanctification." In one word, whatever duties
we inculcate upon you, we only call you to build castles in
the air, to build a tower without a bottom, unless we first
bring you to Christ by that faith which is of God's operation.

Inf. 2. See hence the miserable and mournful condition of
the generality of gospel-hearers; they are a company of con-
demned men, under sentence of death. O that God may dart
home an arrow of conviction on the hearts of unbelieving

892 UNBELIEF ARRAIGNED AND CONDEMNED [SER.

sinners, and persuade them of the truth of my doctrine, that
every unbeliever is condemned already. I am sure it is true,
whether you believe it or not ; and you shall find it to be so,
sooner or later. O sirs ! here is a hand-writing against you,
that may make the joints of your loins to loosen, and your
knees to smite one against another: He that believeth not,
is condemned already. And, that I may, if possible, awaken
you to some serious thought and concern about this matter,
will you consider whose sentence it is 1 It is none other than
God's sentence of condemnation. It is somewhat awful and
terrible, to be arraigned and condemned at the bar of man ;
what then must it be to be condemned at Jehovah's bar?
The Judge is omniscient ; " his eyes are as a flame of fire ;"
he " setteth our secret sins in the light of his countenance,"
so that the crime cannot be concealed from him : his justice
is unbiassed ; his eye cannot be blinded with bribes : the arm
of his power cannot be stayed from the execution of the sen-
tence. What a fearful thing is it to fall into the hands of this
living God 1 He is indeed a consuming fire. The solemnity
of the bench adds terror to the criminal; and you may see
with what solemnity the bench is to be reared, before which
you and I must stand ere long, Matth. xxv. 31: "When the
Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels
with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory." O!
whither will the unbeliever fly for help ? or where will he
leave his glory at that day 1 If hills and mountains could
cover him, he would choose far rather to be buried under
them, than appear before the face of the Lamb, when he
comes to ride his circuit as the universal Judge of all the
earth. You may read your doom, Matth. xxv. 41: "Depart
from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the
devil and his angels." The sentence being passed, there can
be no stop in the execution ; the Judge will have his officers
at hand, an innumerable host of angels, all ready for this ser-
vice: these reapers shall gather the tares, bind them in bun-
dles, and burn them. The Judge will stand and see the
sentence executed before his face, saying, " Those mine ene-
mies which would not that I should reign over them, bring
hither, and slay them before me," Luke xix. 27. Among all
the innumerable multitudes of angels, men, and devils, who
shall be spectators of the righteous execution, there shall be
no eye to pity; and the reason is, because the sinner wilfully,
through unbelief, slighted Christ the only Saviour, and refused
to accept of pardonand redemption through his blood. Who
will pity the traitor, who dies for his treason, rejecting his
prince's pardon presented to him to the last 1 Christ would
have gathered you, as the hen gathers her chickens under

XIII.] AT THE BAR OF GOD. 393

her wings, and ye would not; and therefore ye must die
without pity, and without remedy.

Inf. 3. See hence how fitly the gospel is called a joyful
sound, Psal. lxxxix. 15: "Blessed is the people that know the
joyful sound." Among other reasons why it gets that deno-
mination, this is none of the least ; it brings a proclamation
of life to the sons of death, a sound of liberty to the captive,
and of pardon to the poor sinner condemned already. One
would think that the very hint of a pardon to a condemned
criminal, would make his heart to leap within him for joy :
but, alas! sad experience tells us, that the gospel, which
brings such "glad tidings of great joy" to condemned sin-
ners, meets with a very cool reception from the generality,
Is. liii. 1: "Who hath believed our report? and to whom is
the arm of the Lord revealed ?"

Inf. 4. See hence how ill-grounded the joy and triumph of a
Christless unbelieving world is. We would think that man
beside himself, who, being under sentence of death, and to
be brought forth in a little to the place of execution, would
spend any little time he has, in eating, drinking, dancing, and
revelling. Yet this is the very case with the generality; they
take up the timbrel and harp, rejoice at the sound of the
organ; they spend their days in wealth and ease, without
ever thinking that they are condemned already by the great
God. All I shall say, to stop your career at present, is this:
The triumphing of the unbelieving sinner is short, and his joy
but for a moment. You may, indeed, " kindle a fire, and
compass yourselves about with sparks: but this shall ye have
of the Lord's hand, ye shall lie down in sorrow," Is. 1. 11.

Inf. 5. See hence how much we are obliged to Chr'st, who
came to save us from this heavy sentence of death we were
under: "He came not into the world to condemn the world;
but that the world through him might be saved." He him-
self was condemned, that we might be acquitted. Judgment
passed upon him, that it might not pass against us. He was
made a curse, to redeem us from the curse of the law. When
Adam had entailed death and condemnation upon us, and all
his posterity; Christ comes, and by his obedience to death,
cuts off that entail, procuring our justification. "As by the
offence of one, judgment came upon all men to condemna-
tion ; even so by the righteousness of one, the free gift came
upon all men unto justification of life," Rom. v. 18. O be-
liever, acknowledge thy obligations to the Son of God ; for
if he, as thy Surety, had not paid thy debt, thou hadst been
condemned to the prison of hell for it for ever.

Inf. 6. See hence that it is every man's duty and interest
to examine and try, whether he be under this heavy sentence.

394 UNBELIEF ARRAIGNED AND CONDEMNED [SER.

yea, or not. It is a miserable thing to be under sentence of
death, and to know nothing of it. Neither will a man ever
seek to be freed from it, till he be convinced that he is fndeed
under it. I shall give you the few following characters of
such as are under sentence of condemnation.

1st, You who never yet saw yourselves to be condemned
in the court of the law and conscience for sin, and particu-
larly for the sin of unbelief, you are surely under sentence of
death to this day ; for the first work of the Spirit, when he
comes to liberate a poor soul from condemnation, is to "con-
vince the world of sin ; of sin, because they believe not on
him," John xvi. 8, 9.

2dly, You whose minds are so blinded with ignorance and
prejudice against Christ, that you " can see no form or come-
liness in him," notwithstanding of the bright displays of his
glory that are made to us in the word. " If our gospel be
hid, it is hid to them that are lost: in whom the god of this
world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest
the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of
God, should shine unto them," 2 Cor. iv. 3, 4.

3dly, You, who are yet wedded to the law as a covenant,
and are seeking life and righteousness by that first husband,
you are, to this moment, under the sentence of death ; for, " as
many as are of the works of the law, are under the curse."
If you never knew what it is to be dead to the law by the
body of Christ, to have as little hope of life and salvation by
the law and its works, as though you had never done any one
duty commanded by the law in your whole life, you are yet
married to the law as a husband, consequently, under the
law's sentence. Yea, I will adventure to say, that the legalist,
or self-righteous person, is a step farther off from heaven and
eternal life, than the grossest of sinners; for "publicans and
harlots," says Christ, " shall enter into the kingdom of hea-
ven before you."

Athly, You who cast off the obligation of the law as a rule
of obedience, under a pretended hope of being saved by
grace, without the works of the law. All practical Antino-
mians, who are following the swing of their own lusts, are
under the power of unbelief, and consequently condemned al-
ready. Away with lying, swearing, drinking, whoring be-
lievers. Will you pretend to be the people of a holy God, the
members of a holy Jesus, the federates of a holy covenant,
the heirs of an undefiled inheritance, and yet wallow in your
sins, or yet retain any known iniquity in your hearts 1 No,
no. To such, not I, but God himself saith, "What hast thou
to do to declare my statutes, or that thou should st take my co-
venant in thy mouth? seeing thou hatest instruction, and

XIII.] AT THE BAR OF GOD. 395

castest my words behind thee." O sirs, they that are dead
to the law as a covenant, are so far from casting oft* its ob-
ligations as a rule of duty, that they bind it about them as an
ornament, choosing it for a light to their feet, and a lamp to
their paths. We are not without law to God, when under the
law to Christ. The law is so dear and sweet to a true be-
liever, that it is his meditation day and night. O how love I
thy law ! says David : as if he had said, I love it so well, that
I cannot tell how well I love it : . " My soul breaketh for the
longing that it hath unto thy judgments at all times," PsaL
cxix. 20.

Inf. 7. Is it so that every unbeliever is a condemned cri-
minal before God 1 O, then, be concerned at your hearts to
get rid of that dismal sentence you are under. What can be
matter of concern, if this be not? I come, in the name of
God, to tell you, that this is not impossible; yea, I dare go
farther, and tell you, that if you will but hear, your souls shall
live, and not die under that condemnatory sentence which is
gone forth against you. I dare promise you not only a re-
prieve, but a remission; for thus saith the great Judge, as a
reconciled God in Christ, to the poor trembling panel, stand-
ing condemned before the bar of his holy law; "I, even I,
am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake,
and will not remember thy sins," Is. xliii. 25. Here is an act
of grace passed at a throne of grace, sealed with the blood
of the Lamb, published and proclaimed in the tops of the high
places, that none may pretend ignorance, and that every con-
demned sinner may take the benefit of it, and come in upon
the King's royal indemnity, granted upon the satisfaction
made to justice by his eternal Son. O, then, sh's, " Hear,
and your souls shall live, and he will make an everlasting co-
venant with you, even the sure mercies of David," Is. lv. 3:
"O earth, earth, earth, hear this word of the Lord."

I come not to tell you how you may be rich, great, and
honourable in the world ; these things are but trifles to people
in your circumstances. Should you come to a condemned
man, and talk to him of riches, honours, crowns, robes, scep-
tres, and kingdoms: Alas ! would he be ready to say, what
is all that to me ? I am a poor man going into another world
within a few hours; if you can tell me how I may save my
life, or how I may get rid of my sentence, chains, prison, you
will say something to the purpose. This is the very case
with thee, O sinner: for "by the offence of one, judgment is
come upon all men to condemnation." And, therefore, O
poor criminal, listen, lend me a believing ear for a few mo-
ments, and I will tell thee how infallibly thou shalt make thy
escape.

396 UNBELIEF ARRAIGNED AND CONDEMNED [sER.

Quest. O, may the poor criminal say, how is that ? I an-
swer, I have no advice to give thee but one ; it is an old ad-
vice, a new advice, and the only advice that can be given
while the world stands ; it is the very same which Paul and
Silas gave to a poor panel, trembling at God's bar, crying,
" What must I do to be saved ?" The plain advice they gave
him, I give this day to you, Acts xvi. 31: "Believe on the
Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved:" agreeably to
which are the words of Christ himself, in the first part of the
verse, where my text lies, " He that believeth on the Son of
God is not condemned;" and verse 16: "Whosoever be-
lieveth in him, shall not perish, but have everlasting life."

Quest. You advise us to believe in Christ ; but pray tell us
what is it to believe in him ? You have the answer in your
Catechism : To believe, is to " receive Christ, and to rest
upon him alone for salvation, as he is offered to us in the gos-
pel;" or, in other words, it is to trust and credit him, as the
Saviour of sinners, with the salvation of thy lost soul, upon
the warrant of his own call and command in the word.
Christ's business and occupation is to save that which was
lost. Now, you all know what it is to trust a man in his
trade and occupation; you who have some business at law,
know what it is to trust your advocates with your most va-
luable concerns, and the whole management of your cause de-
pending before the judges. Well, in like manner, to believe,
is, upon the credit of God's testimony concerning Christ in
the word, to trust him, as the Saviour of sinners, with the
salvation of thy own soul in particular. This, I say, is the
business, the office, and occupation of Christ, to save sinners;
and he is so fond of employment in his trade of saving, that
he says, " Come to me who will, I will in no wise cast out."
And, therefore, trust in him in his occupation ; put thy con-
demned soul in the hands of the sinner's Saviour, for that is to
believe in him and on him. O, what a happy suitable meet-
ing is it, when the sinner and the Saviour of sinners thus
meet together ! Some have a notion, when we bid them be-
lieve, we bid them do some great thing as the condition of
salvation. But this is a mistake. Believing is a resting from
works in point of salvation, and a resting on Christ alone for
salvation from sin, and all the effects of it. It is to receive a
salvation already completed and prepared to your hand, and
brought near to you in the word of grace. But I must not
stand farther in describing faith at present.

Quest. What influence (may you say) will our believing
have upon our being delivered from this condemnatory sen-
tence we are under '? Answ. Much every way. For,

XIII.] . AT THE BAR OF GOD. 397

1. That moment thou believest, thou becomest a member
of Christ, as a new covenant head. While under the power
of unbelief, thou art a member of the first Adam, and con-
sequently under Adam's covenant, which is a cursing and
condemning covenant to all who are under it, "judgment
being come upon all men to condemnation," through Adam's
breach of it ; but in believing, thou becomest a member of
Christ, the second Adam, the head of the new covenant, the
covenant of grace and promise, which contains nothing but
blessings to the soul that takes hold of it, Rom. viii. 1: " There
is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ
Jesus." It is not said, there is nothing culpable or condemn-
able in the believer ; but there is no condemnation to him ;
he is no more liable to the penalties of Adam's covenant,
Christ, his glorious Surety, having endured these in his room
and stead ; and it were inconsistent with justice, to demand
payment of the same debt, both from the cautioner and princi-
pal debtor.

2. To clear this yet farther, the poor soul, in believing, is
married to a new husband, even Christ; and being under
his roof, the covert of his blood and righteousness, the con-
demning law can have no action against it, this new and bet-
ter husband having made his spouse free indeed, by the im-
putation of his law-magnifying righteousness : Rom. vii. 4 :
" Ye are dead to the law by the body of Christ (or, by the
offering of his body on the cross,) that ye should be married
to another, even to him who is raised from the dead." He
does that for us, which the law could not do, through the cor-
ruption of nature ; particularly, " condemns sin in the flesh,
that the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us.
Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one
that believeth." And if the law have its end, and be fulfilled
in the believer, by virtue of his union and marriage with the
Son of God, how can he be liable to condemnation, or any
law penalties?

3. That moment the condemned sinner believes in Christ,
he is entered heir of a new family, a member of a new corpo-
ration : he is come, not to Mount Sinai, but to Mount Zion ;
not to the earthly Jerusalem, which is in bondage, but to the
heavenly Jerusalem, which is free. He is "no more a stran-
ger and foreigner, but a fellow-citizen with the saints, and of
the household of God." • He comes in among the " general
assembly, and church of the first-born." He becomes an
" heir of God, and a joint-heir with Jesus Christ ;" and the
inheritance is settled upon him by a charter, which contains
no irritant clauses. No, no: having taken hold of God's co-
venant by faith, he hath a name and a place within the walls

vol. I. 34

398 UNBELIEF ARRAIGNED AND CONDEMNED [SER,

of God's house, even an everlasting name, that shull not be cut
off ; and therefore must needs be free from the condemnatory
sentence he lay under before he believed.

4. That moment you believe, your cause is carried into a
new court; I mean, from a tribunal of justice to a mercy-
seat, where all the acts and inteidocutors that pass are acts
of grace and mercy, acts of pardon and acceptance in the
beloved. No sentences of condemnation pass in the court of
grace : no ; this is inconsistent with the nature of the court.
O let every guilty sinner, who finds himself condemned in the
court of the law, and of conscience, carry his cause, by a
solemn appeal, to this court ; for the court is open to all co-
mers, and the Lord merciful and gracious, who sits upon
this throne of grace, receives all appeals that are made to
him, and will in no wise cast out the sinner, or cast his appeal
over bar. O, therefore, " let us come with boldness unto a
throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace
to help us in time of need."

Quest. But (may you say) if matters stand thus with a
believer, that he cannot fall under the sentence of the law,
cannot come into condemnation, then he may live as he lists.
Does not this doctrine open a wide door for licentiousness and
profanity ? for if once a man be a believer, according to this
doctrine, he has nothing to fear, and so may do what he will.
Were it not better for ministers to forbear doctrines that are
liable to such abuse 1 I answer,

1. The whole counsel of God must be revealed, and not
one hoof of divine truth must be suppressed, though a whole
reprobate world should break their necks on it, by wresting
it to their own destruction. The gospel will be the savour of
death unto some ; Christ crucified will be a stone of stumbling,
and a rock of offence. But shall we, because of this, for-
bear to preach Christ, and his gospel 1 God forbid ; we
must not starve God's children, out of fear lest dogs snatch
at it to their own perdition.

2. I own, that a carnal gospeller, who has some swimming
notions of the grace of God in his head, may abuse the doc-
trine of the believer's freedom from condemnation by virtue
of his union with Christ : but the grace of God in the heart
teaches the very reverse of this, namely, to " deny all un-
godliness and worldly lusts, and to live soberly, righteously,
and godly, in this present world."

3. Though the believer be delivered from the law as a
covenant, and its condemnatory sentence, through Christ, yet
it does not in the least pave a way to licentiousness ; because
at the same time that he is assoilzied and acquitted from his
obligation to the law7 as a covenant, he comes under stronger

XIII.] AT THE BAR OF GOD. 399

and more powerful ties than ever to yield obedience to it as
a rule of duty.

I shall conclude this discourse, by naming a few of these
bonds of obedience the believer remains under, even when
delivered from condemnation.

1st, He is still under the bond of the royal authority of
the great God, both as a Creator and Redeemer. The au-
thority and obligation of the divine law can never be dis-
solved, while God is God, and the creature a creature.

2dly, He is under the bond of interest, to obey the divine
law. It is true, his obedience does not give him the title to
the reward of- glory ; it is only his union with Christ, the
heir of all things, that gives him this; but yet his own per-
sonal obedience is evidential and declarative of his title
through Christ. And is it not much for the believer's interest,
to have his claim to glory and everlasting life cleared up and
made evident to his own soul 1 In this sense I understand
that word, Rev. xxii. 14 : " Blessed are they that do his com-
mandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and
may enter in through the gates into the city."

3dly, He is still under the bond of fear ; Jer. xxxii. 40 : "I
will put my fear in their hearts, that they shall not depart
from me." This is not a slavish fear of hell and vindictive
wrath, for that is inconsistent with his freedom from condem-
nation : but is a filial fear of God as a Father, flowing from
an affectionate regard to his authority, interposed in the
commands of the law. Though they be not afraid of being
cast into hell ; yet they " fear him who is able to cast soul
and body into hell." Though they have no reason to fear
him as an avenging and condemning Judge ; yet they have
much reason to fear him as a fatherly Judge, lest he " visit
their transgression with the rod, and their iniquity with
stripes ;" for, pass who will unpunished, they shall not pass :
ft You only have I known of all the families of the earth ;
therefore I will punish you for all your iniquities."

4thly, He is under the bond of love. He studies to love
the Lord his God with all his heart, soul, strength, and mind ;
and this love of God in Christ, like a strong cord, draws
him on in the way of obedience, " I drew them with the
cords of love :" " The love of Christ constraineth us," says
Paul. This love laid in the believer's heart has such a force
and power with it, " that many waters cannot quench it,
neither are all floods able to drown it," Cant. viii. 7 ; Rom.
viii. 35, 39.

blhly, He is under the bond of gratitude; being bought
with a price, he studies to glorify God in soul and body,
which are his. Christ having delivered him from the hand

400 UNBELIEF ARRAIGNED, &C [SER.

of his enemies, he serves the Lord without fear, in holiness
and righteousness, all the days of his life. The believer, when
delivered from the hand of the condemning law, says to Christ,
as the men of Israel did to Gideon, Judg. viii. 22 : " Rule thou
over us; for thou hast delivered us from the hand of our ene-
mies." Suppose a king should not only pardon a rebel, but
restore him his forfeited inheritance, advance him to the high-
est places of honour about the throne ; yea, make him his son,
his heir, and set him upon the throne with himself: would not
that man be under a far greater obligation to serve and obey
the king, than if he had never received such singular favours
at his hand ? There is no bond of obedience like the bond of
gratitude to an ingenuous spirit.

Qthly, He is under the bond of a renewed nature. The
man is made a partaker of the divine nature, by which the
life of God, the love of God, and the law of God, is laid in his
very heart ; and this is a mighty bond to obedience : Heb.
viii. 10 : "I will put my laws into their mind, and write them
in their hearts." It is engraved there with the finger of the
Holy Ghost : his heart is cast into a divine mould, moulded
into the will of God, his will of grace, his will of precept, and
his will of providence ; so that he " delights in the law of God,
after the inward man. The law of his God is in his heart,"
and therefore " none of his steps shall slide."

Lastly, The inhabitation of the Holy Ghost is another effi-
cacious bond to obedience : Ezek. xxxvi. 27 : "I will put my
Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes ; and
ye shall keep my judgments, and do them." This law of the
Spirit of life, which is in Christ Jesus, rnakes them " free from
the law of sin and death." And being led by the Spirit, they
do not fulfil the lusts of the flesh. To conclude, that very grace
of God which frees them from the law as a covenant, binds
them to it as a rule, Tit. ii. 11, 12.

These are some gospel bonds of obedience : and you who
never knew what it is to have your souls under the sweet in-
fluence of these, but only obey the law with a view to pur-
chase a title to heaven, or to redeem your souls from hell
and wrath, I, in the name of God, pronounce the heavy doom
of my text against you, He that believeth not, is condemned al-
ready.

401

SERMON XIV.

THE DAY-SPRING FROM ON HIGH.*

Through the tender mercy of our God; whereby the day-spring from on
high hath visited us. — Luke x. 78.

These words are a part of the prophetic song of Zacharias,
concerning the person, kingdom, and glory of Christ. The
man was tilled with the Holy Ghost, and "this made his "tongue
like the pen of a ready writer" to proclaim the praises of our
glorious Immanuel. Whenever the Spirit of glory and of God
rests upon a soul, his great work is to glorify Christ. Time
will not allow me to insist in opening up the connexion. Only,
in a word, Zacharias having spoken of John Baptist as the
harbinger of the glorious Messiah, he tells us what would be his
province and peculiar work, ver. 77 : " To give the know-
ledge of salvation unto his people by the remission of sins,""
or for the remission of sins ; that is, to open up the way how
guilty sinners may come to be justified through the righteous-
ness of Christ, this being the only way of salvation from the
wrath of God, and the curse of the broken law. And if any
should ask, How comes it about that salvation and remission
of sins should be published to a guilty lost world I You have
a very apposite answer to this inquiry in the words of my text:
it is, Through the tender mercy of our God; whereby the day*
spring from on high hath visited us.

Where notice, (1.) How the manifestation of Christ, as the
Saviour, is expressed ; it is called, The day-spring from on
high. (2.) The moving cause of this manifestation of Christ :
it is, Through the lender mercy of our God, or, as in the mar-
gin, the bozcels of his mercy. O sirs, it was not the works of
righteousness that we had done, or were to do, that laid God
under an obligation to send his Son into the world ; no, no, it
was the working of his own heart, the rolling of his own bow-
els of love and pity to perishing sinners, John iii. 16: "God
so loved the world, that he gave his only bego'tten Son, that
whosoever believeth in him, should not perish but have ever-
lasting life." It is observable here, that Zacharias does not
simply say, the tender mercies of God; but, through the tender

• Preached immediately before the celebration of the Lord's supper, at
Portmoak, June 2, 1728.

34*

402 THE DAY-SPRING FROM ON HIGH. [SER.

mercies, or bowels, of our God. This is the ordinary way of
faith ; whenever it views God as a God of mercy in Christ, it
lays claim to him, it applies and appropriates him ; this being
the echo of faith to the covenant-grant, " I will say, It is my
people ; and they shall say, The Lord is my God." But now,
if it should be asked, What way have the bowels of mercy
vented themselves to us? what is the issue of them? Why,
says he, Through the tender mercy of our God, the day-spri?ig
from on high hath visited us. As if he had said, By the mani-
festation of his eternal Son in our nature, and the gracious
approach that he has made to us in him, he has dispelled
these dark and black clouds of wrath that were hovering over
our heads. " We that sat in darkness, saw great light ; and
to us that sat in the region and shadow of death, light is
sprung up." Some render the words of the text, the sun-
rising from on high, others, the branch-spring from on high hath
visited us. I shall follow our own translation, the day-spring
from on high hath visited us. The words will be farther clear
in speaking to the following observation :

Observ. " That Christ's approaches in a way of grace make
a joyful day of salvation to spring from on high upon a mise-
rable world. The day-spring from on high hath visited us. —
Hence it is that Christ is sometimes called the light of the
world; sometimes, the Sim of righteousness ; sometimes, the
bright and morni?ig Star ; and his goings forth are prepared as
the 7norning.,i

Method,

I. To inquire what this text and doctrine supposes.

II. Notice a few of the visits of this day-spring.

III. Why his visits are likened to the spring of the day.

IV. What sort of a day springs up when Christ visits the
soul.

V. Why this day is said to spring from on high.

VI. Apply the whole.

I. The first thing is, to inquire what is implied in the expres-
sion in the text, The day -spring from o?i high hath visited us.

1. It supposes Adam's posterity to be in a dark, lonely, and
miserable condition, before Christ visits them from on high.
What the condition of the old creation was before the form-
ing of light, that is man's before Christ pays him a visit: the
old creation was " without form, and void, and darkness was
upon the face of the deep;" so is man: man is without form
or comel'mess, a mass of darkness, and disorder, and misery. —
As the darkness of the night overspreads the face of the earth

XIV.] THE DAY-SPRING FROM ON HIGH. 403

before the spring of day, so a melancholy night of darkness
overspreads all the children of men. Immediately upon the
entry of sin, a curtain, a veil, was drawn between God and
man, by the justice and holiness of God, till it was rent again
by the death and blood of a Redeemer. Oh, what darkness
was upon our first parents before Christ was revealed in the
first promise ! such a darkness as caused honor and trembling,
and flying in among the thickets of paradise. There is a mani-
fold darkness that sin has brought upon man: a darkness of
ignorance; the eyes of the understanding are dashed out by the
fall, that we cannot know, cannot receive the things of God :
a darkness of error, full of mistaken notions about God and
the things of God ; we naturally change the truth of God into
a lie, put darkness for light, and light for darkness: a dark-
ness of enmity and prejudice against God; we are "enmity
against God, and alienated from the life of God, through the
ignorance that is in us." The very darkness of death is upon
us ; we " sit in the regions and shadow of death," Matth. iv. :
the darkness of a legal death, being " condemned already, and
the wrath of God abiding on us:" the darkness of spiritual
death, being without God, and consequently without life, "in
the world, dead in trespasses and sins, like the slain that lie
in the grave." Now, sirs, this is your condition and mine by
nature, before Christ comes in a way of grace to us, making
the dav-spring from on high to visit us.

2. The day-spring from on high hath visited its ; it supposes
Christ to be the glorious Sun, whose coming brings light along
with him: Mai. iv. 2: "Unto you that fear my name, shall
the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings." All
the stars in the firmament, and constellations of the heavenly
bodies, cannot make day till the sun arise; so neither could
all the angels of heaven afford the least glimmering of comfort
or relief to a lost world, till the Son of God came and paid
us a visit; he alone is " the God of salvation, to whom belong
the issues from death."

3. The text implies, that Christ coming upon this errand,
for our salvation, was unconstrained and voluntary: a visit is
a free and voluntary thing without any manner of force. —
What is said of the natural sun, Psal. xix. 5, that he " re-
joiceth as a strong man to run his race," is much more true
of Christ the sun of righteousness ; he " rejoiced in the habita-
ble parts of the earth, and his delights were with the sons of
men." And as the sun in the firmament, with the greatest
freedom, scatters his beams through the world, so does Christ
scatter the rays and beams of his grace and love among sin-
ners in the dispensation of the everlasting gospel. And when
he comes by his Spirit, either in a day of conversion, or of a

404 THE DAY-SPRING FROM ON HIGH. [SER.

renewed manifestation of himself to a believer, it is with de-
light and pleasure that he does it : " Behold he cometh," says
the spouse, " leaping upon the mountains, and skipping upon
the hills."

4. The text implies, that Christ's visits are wonderful, sweet
and acceptable. What can be more desirable than the spring
of day, after a dark, long, and melancholy night 1 " Truly the
light is sweet, and a pleasant thing it is for the eyes to behold
the sun." Oh, will the soul say, when Christ comes, wel-
come, welcome, welcome, ten thousand times welcome,
" Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord to save
us." O sirs, never did Christ come yet to visit, hut he brought
welcome with him : " Lo, this is our God, we have waited for
him, — we will be glad, and rejoice in his salvation."

5. The text implies an infinite disparity between the party
visiting and the party visited ; hence the day-spring \sfrom on
high. O sirs, we were brought low by our iniquities, lying
upon the very confines of hell; and therefore when Christ, who
lay in his Father's bosom from eternity, when he " who in-
habits eternity, and dwells in the high and holy place," comes
to visit us, he must humble and abase himself to meet us; he
leaves the upper regions of glory, to dwell or tabernacle with
us upon earth. Hence we are told, that though he was "in
the form of God, and thought it not robbery to be equal with
God, yet he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death,
even the death of the cross." Thus, you see what the text
and doctrine imply.

II. The second thing is, to notice some of the gracious visits
of Christ, or gradual advances of this day-spring from on high.

1. Then, there was the early visit that he made us in his
eternal purpose from the ancient years of eternity, before
ever the world was made : Mic. v. 2 : " But thou, Bethlehem
Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah,
yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me, that is to be ru-
ler in Israel : whose goings forth have been from of old, from
everlasting." Which last words may either denote the eter-
nal generation of the Son; he was begotten of his Father
from eternity, being the same eternal, independent, self-exist-
ent God with him: or it may point out his eternal destination
by the Father to be the Redeemer and Saviour of lost sinners;
agreeable to which is that of Christ, Pro v. viii. 23: "I was
setup from everlasting, from the beginning, or ever the earth
was." This was, as it were, his first motion towards us,
though, as yet, at a great and inconceivable distance. O
sirs, wonder at this wonderful grace and love of God, that
paid us a visit when he saw us in our blood, and before we

XIV.] THE DAY-SPRING FROM ON HIGH. 405

had any other being save in his own decree ! " When I saw
thee in thy blood, I said unto thee, Live."

2. There is a visit that he made us in our first parents after
the fall, when he told them, that " the seed of the woman
should bruise the head of the serpent." This was, as it were,
the first peep of day-light on a lost world of mankind. As
I was saying just now, no sooner had man sinned, but a dark
and dismal night of wrath from the Lord of hosts did over-
spread our horizon, which struck our first parents with such
horror, that they endeavoured to hide themselves among the
bushes of Paradise : even while they are every moment ex-
pecting to be stricken through with the barbed arrows of di-
vine vengeance and wrath, the Messiah is revealed and pro-
mised, and light and deliverance appears with him. And all
the prophecies, types, promises, and ceremonies of the Old
Testament dispensation, were nothing else but the gradual
advances of the Sun of righteousness toward our horizon. But
yet all this time the Sun is not actually arisen in our view,
though after the break of day, in the first promise, the light
did shine more and more brightly till the sun did actually
arise. And therefore,

3. There is the visit of the day-spring from on high, in his
actual incarnation or manifestation in our nature. This was,
I say, the rising of the sun in the open view of the world,
which, how glorious it was, we are told by those that saw it,
John i. 14: " The word was made flesh, and dwelt among us;
(and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten
of the Father) full of grace and truth." The angels, these
morning stars, sing together, and proclaim the tidings of his
arrival, as a matter of joy and triumph, Luke ii. 10. We
" bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all
people. For unto you is born this day, in the city of David,
a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord." And thereupon they
break forth with an anthem of praise, saying, "Glory to
God in the highest, and on earth peace, good-will towards
men." O how did this Sun of righteousness rejoice to run
his race of humiliation in this lower world, having his divine
glory obscured with a veil of flesh, lest his dazzling glory
should have overwhelmed us ! The beams of divine glory
were ever and anon breaking through the veil of flesh, in his
doctrine, in his miracles, in his birth, life, death, resurrection,
and ascension ; which I have not now time to insist upon.
Only, I would have you to remember, that by this one visit,
which he made us in our nature, which continued for the
space of about three and thirty years, he fulfilled the law,
satisfied justice, finished transgression, made an end of sin,
brought in everlasting righteousness, confirmed the covenant,

406 THE DAY-SPRING FROM ON HIGH. [SER.

overthrew principalities and powers, destroyed death, opened
up the way to the holy of holies, laid a bridge of communica-
tion between heaven and earth, by which God might come
to man without prejudice to his justice, and man might come
to God without being consumed or overwhelmed.

4. Another visit is the day-spring of a gospel-revelation ;
when the glad tidings of salvation come first to be published,
and " life and immortality brought to light," Matth. iv. 15,
16, to a people or nation. O what a sweet spring of day was
it, when, after the resurrection of Christ, the apostles, and
other ministers, as the heralds of the great Messiah, began to
proclaim pardon, peace and salvation through his blood, first
to the Jews, and afterward to the Gentile nations ! how did
the dark mists of Jewish rites, types, and ceremonies, and of
Gentile idolatry and abominations, vanish, before the bright
rays of the Sun of righteousness conveyed in the dispensation
of the gospel ! and what multitudes of converts were added to
the church, compared for their innumerable number, to the
drops of the dew from the womb of the morning ! And what
a sweet spring of day was there in our own land, when the
gospel came at first to be preached to our forefathers, who were
lying under a dark night of Pagan idolatry ! And when after
that a dark night of Popish blindness and idolatry had over-
spread us again, what a sweet day-spring from on high did
visit us in our reformation ! and what a pleasant edge of life
and zeal for God and his glory was there to be found upon
the spirits of our nobles, gentry, and commons, which dis-
covered itself in their frequent renewing of their solemn co-
venants, to stand by, and maintain a work of reformation
against the emissaries of hell and Rome ! and how signally did
the Lord countenance that work by the down-pouring of his
Spirit, and the remarkable success of the gospel in the con-
version of many souls? So then, I say, the preaching of the
gospel in a land, or among a people, is a sweet visit of the
day-spring from on high.

5. The day of conversion is another visit of the day-spring
from on high ; when " God who commanded the light to shine
out of darkness, shines into the heart, to give the light of the
knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ."
O how sweet and surprising a visit is this! and what a sweet
day does then break and spring up in the soul. It is such a
visit as brings light, and such a light as turns the shadow of
death into a pleasant morning. It is a light that not only
shines upon the man, but shines into his heart, irradiating all
the powers of his soul, and translating him from darkness to
a marvellous light. It is " the light of the knowledge of the
glory of God." The Spirit now begins to rend " the face of

XIV.] THE DAY-SPRING FROM ON HIGH. 407

the covering" that was upon the soul, so that the beams of
divine glory, which shined externally in a gospel dispensation,
now break in upon the soul, " changing him from glory to
glory ;" the Spirit now glorifies Christ by taking the things
of Christ, and showing them unto the soul. And all this is
in the face or person of Christ. The man, who before could
"see no form or comeliness in him why he should be de-
sired," now sees him to be " fairer than the children of
men, the brightness of his Father's glory, and the express
image of his person," and his heart rises at every word or doc-
trine that has the least tendency to disparage his divine
glory. O sirs, has the day-spring from on high thus visited
you 1 If so, then I may safely say, as Christ did to Zaccheus,
" This day is salvation come to thy house," to thy heart, to
thy soul.

6. There is a day-spring of a renewed manifestation of
Christ, after a dark night of desertion. Perhaps the poor be-
liever has been walking in darkness, and could see no light ;
clouds and darkness were round about him ; God was hiding,
Satan harassing him with his fiery darts, iniquities prevailing,
trouble and distress surrounding him on every hand, and the
poor soul brought to that pinch, as to be crying out, " O that
it were with me as in months past ! I am cast out of his sight ;
his mercy is clean gone, he hath forgotten to be gracious ;"
like Zion, " the Lord hath, forsaken me, and my Lord hath
forgotten me." However, at length the day breaks, the Sun
of righteousness arises, breaks through all interposing clouds,
giving such a challenge of grace as that, Is. xl. 27: "Why
sayest thou, O Jacob, and speakest, O Israel, My way is hid
from the Lord, and my judgment is passed over from my God!"
and he takes the poor soul all in his arms and bosom, saying
to it, as he did to Ephraim, "Thou art my dear son, thou art
my pleasant child, I remember thee still, my bowels are trou-
bled for thee ; I will surely have mercy upon thee ; and with
everlasting kindness am I now returned to thee, though for a
small moment I had forsaken thee." O what a sweet visit is
this, and what a sweet day breaks upon the soul! How is
unbelief, jealousy, despondency, and false surmises of God,
put out of countenance ! And heartily does the soul condemn
itself for its rash and hasty conclusions of the Lord's love and
faithfulness, saying, " So foolish was I, and ignorant : I was as
a beast before thee." O now, now, the day is again broken,
and I see that, " his anger endureth but a moment ; in his fa-
vour is life : weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh
in the morning." Such a visit of the day-spring from on high
had the spouse, Cant. iii. 1 — 4, and Cant. ii. 8.

7. I might tell you, that there is a sweet day-spring visit,

408 THE DAY-SPRING FROM ON HIGH. [SER.

that Christ makes to his people at death and the last judg-
ment: John xiv. 3: "I go away, but I will come again, and
receive you unto myself, that where I am, there ye may be
also." This is the day-spring of eternal glory, which shall
never suffer an eclipse, and which shall never end in a night
of desertion, or affliction, or death. Lift up thy head, be-
liever, for this day of complete redemption is drawing near ;
the day of complete redemption to thy soul is coming at
death, and complete redemption to thy soul and body is
coming : for " when Christ who is thy life, shall appear, then
shalt thou also appear with him in glory ;" thou shalt then
sing, and say, " Lo, this is our God, we have waited for him,
we will be glad, and rejoice in his salvation." Thus, I have
told you of some of Christ's visits, which makes the day to
spring from on high.

III. The third thing proposed was, to inquire zvhy Christ's
visits are likened to the spring of day. I answer in the fol-
lowing particulars :

1. The spring of day brings light with it ; it dispels the
clouds, the fogs, and darkness of the night.. So Christ's vi-
sits bring light to the poor soul that was in darkness, the
light of knowledge, the light of comfort and joy along with
them. " The sun of righteousness," scatters beams of light
round about him, wherever he goes. And this light is nothing
else than the dawnings of glory in the soul, there being only
a gradual difference between the light of grace here, and the
light of glory hereafter, the first being an infallible pledge
and earnest of the last.

2. The spring of day is gradual and growing ; the begin-
nings of it are small, but the latter end of it does greatly in-
crease. The day does not spring up all at once ; no, but by
little and little it advances till it come to the mid-day. So is
it in Christ's visits that he makes to a land, or to a particular
person, his light is gradual and growing. When once he be-
gins to shine, he shines " more and more unto the perfect
day." The Sun of righteousness, when once he arises on a
soul with healing in his wings, he is ever on the ascendant,
and will be so till the mid-day of glory come. Yes, for
aught I know, there will be new scenes of glory opening to
the saints in heaven through an endless eternity ; for it is
impossible that a finite understanding can take in at once the
perfections of an infinite God.

3. The day-spring brings life and joy with it. The birds
begin to chirp and sing, and fill the air with their melodious
notes ; and every thing puts on another face at the approach-
ing sun. So Christ's visits of grace and love fill the soul of
the believer with a spiritual melody : " the time of the sing-

XIV.] THE DAY-SPRING FROM ON HIGH. 409

ing of birds draws near," when the Sun of righteousness arises.
When he arises in a gospel dispensation, proclaiming his sal-
vation to the ends of the earth, then is fulfilled that word,
Is. xxiv. 16, " From the uttermost part of the earth have we
heard songs, even glory to the righteous." And when he
arises on the soul in conversion, or in a renewed manifesta-
tion, the poor soul lays aside its sackcloth : it gets " the oil
of joy for mourning and the garment of praise for the spirit
of heaviness."

4. The spring of the day is irresistible ; all the power of
men and devils, with all their combined force, the grossest
darkness, the thickest fogs, cannot hinder the dawning of the
morning-light. So Christ's visits of grace, whether in a gos-
pel dispensation at conversion, or in renewed intimations, can-
not be hindered. When his set time to favour Zion is come,
he will not be let or stopped. The mountains of distance,
ignorance, enmity, unbelief, melt away before him ; they
flow down " at the presence of the Lord, at the presence of
the God of Jacob." Every thing that stands in his way va-
nishes, as the darkness of the night vanishes at the approach
of the sun. Gates of brass, and bars of iron, are broken;
strong holds are ruined ; high and towering imaginations, that
exalted themselves against him, are all levelled and brought
down, when he has a mind to come.

5. The spring of the day is manifestative; it discovers
things that lay hid in the darkness of the night. The trees,
the flowers, the herbs and other things with which the face
of the earth is bespangled and adorned, lie hid in the dark-
ness of the night ; but when the day springs up, they appear
in their beauty. So here, before Christ visits the soul, the
glories of a gospel dispensation lie hid ; but whenever Christ,
the Sun of righteousness, arises, the soul "sees the glorv of
the Lord, and the excellency of our God :" it just comes, as
it were, into a new world of wonders. The mysteries of the
kingdom, the mystery of a Trinity, the mystery of the in-
carnation, the mystery of union with Christ, the mystery of
justification by his righteousness, of sanctification by his Spi-
rit, the secrets of the covenant, and every truth of religion,
appears with a new beauty and lustre: then it is that sin is seen
in its exceeding sinfulness, the law in its extent and spiritu-
ality, the covenant in its freedom, Christ in his fulness, God
in his greatness and excellency. Hence the day of conversion
is called the "opening of the eyes of the blind," and the Spirit
of Christ a "Spirit of wisdom and revelation."

6. The spring of day is sure to them that have seen day-
light. Who doubts of the return of the morning, even when
the sun is set, and on the other side of the globe ? So Christ's

vol. i. 33

410 THE DAY-SPRING FROM ON HIGH. [sER.

visits, in the renewed manifestations of his love, are sure to
the soul that has once had the day-spring from on high visit-
ing it in conversion. God's covenant of grace, in which he.
has engaged his faithfulness to return with everlasting kind-
ness, is as firm as his covenant with day. And this, by the
way, may serve to stop the mouth of unbelief; when under
darkness and hiding, it is ready to say, " His mercy is clean
gone," and " he hath in anger shut up his tender mercies ;"
for as sure as the natural day will spring, so sure shall the
Sun of righteousness return again to thy soul with healing
under his wings.

7. The spring of day may be clear, and yet clouds may
cast up after the day is broken. There may be a fair blink in
the morning, and the sun may wade through clouds all the
day ; yea, may perhaps set in a cloud. So here, there may
be a bright blink in the day of converting love, and yet, in a
little, the sun may be eclipsed, and the poor soul held, all its
days in this world, in bondage, through desertion, temptation,
affliction, and fears of death ; yea, perhaps the sun also may
set in a cloud, I mean the soul die under a cloud ; but though
it be so, yet as the sun sets in safety, though it set in a cloud,
so the soul may, and does die in safety, though it may die in
darkness.

8. The light of the day-spring is a common thing, the beg-
gar may use it as well as the king. So the light and grace
of God in the gospel dispensation is common and free to rich
and poor, &c. Thus, you see in what respects Christ's visits
are like the spring of day.

IV. The fourth thing was, to inquire what sort of a clay it
is that ChrisCs visits bring along with them.

1. It is a day of power ; Psal. ex. 3 : "Thy people shall
be willing in the day of thy power." When he comes to
visit the soul with efficacious grace, the bars of death are
broken, the gates of brass are opened, the everlasting doors
are lifted up, the foundations of Satan's usurped kingdom
are shaken, and the soul translated out of darkness into the
kingdom of his dear Son ; hence we read of the revealing of
God's arm, Is. liii. 1. It is a day in which Christ comes " tra-
velling in the greatness of his strength," showing himself
" mighty to save."

2. Christ's visits make a day of salvation to spring from
on high on the soul : hence, when Christ pays a visit to Zac-
cheus, he tells him," This day is salvation come to thy house."'
Salvation follows the Saviour's visits in his train ; salvation
from the curse of the law, the stroke, of justice, salvation
from the power of sin, the guilt of sin, the tilth of sin ; sal-
vation from " the wrath that is to come." And when this
day springs from on high on the soul, the poor creature can-

XIV.] THE DAY-SPRING FROM ON HIGH. 411

not but say and sing, " He that is our God, is th,e God of sal-
vation ; and unto God the Lord belong the issues from death.
Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto
the Lamb, for ever."

3. Christ's visit brings a day of espousals with it : Jer. ii.
2: " Thus sailh the Lord, I remember thee, the kindness of
thy youth, and the love of thine espousals." Song iii. 11:
" Go forth, O ye daughters of Zion, and behold king Solomon
with the crown wherewith his mother crowned him in the
day of his espousals, and in the day of the gladness of his
heart." Whenever Christ approaches, and manifests his
glory to the soul, he appears as a bridegroom presenting the
marriage-contract of the covenant in his hand, saying as the
servant of Abraham to Rebekah, " Wilt thou go with this
man ?" upon which the soul immediately yields itself, with
heart and hand, saying, " I am the Lord's. — Whither thou
goest I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge. — Nei-
ther death, nor life, nor things present, nor things to come,
shall separate" me from this better husband, "who is raised
from the dead."

4. Christ's visit makes a day of liberty to spring up. The
poor creature was under the hardest bondage and captivity,
shut up in the prison of sin, shut up under the law's curse,
shut up in the very " gall of bitterness :" but, O ! whenever
Christ comes, he cries to the prisoners to " come forth," to
them that sit in darkness, " Show yourselves." He " proclaims
liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them
that are bound. O sirs, there is no liberty like that which
comes with Christ's visit ; " whom the Son makes free, they
are free indeed :" hence called " the glorious liberty of the
sons of God." Freedom from sin, from Satan, from the
world, from unbelief, the reign of natural enmity. Christ's
visit brings a year of release, a jubilee with it ; " the accept-
able year of the Lord, the day of the redeemed of the Lord,"

5. Christ's visit makes a day of rest to spring up to the soul.
It is a Sabbath, a day of rest ; for then it is that the soul en-
ters into his rest by believing. The poor creature was wea-
rying itself in the greatness of his way, toiling and working at
the oar of the duties of the law, in order to get life and right-
eousness ; it was going under the weight of sin, as a burden too
heavy for it to bear, going under the arrows of the Almighty,
that were drinking up his spirits: but, O ! when the day
springs from on high, it cries with David, "Return unto thy
rest, O my soul, for the Lord hath dealt bountifully with thee."
At the first sight of Christ the soul cries out, as the Lord said
of Zion, " This is my rest for ever : here will I dwell, for I
have desired it," and like it well.

6. Christ's visit from on high brings a day of love along

412 THE DAY-SPRING FROM ON HIGH. [SER.

with it: Ezek. xvi: "Thy time was a time of love," namely,
when I visited thee. It is a time of love on Christ's side; for
then it is that he gives vent to electing and redeeming love,
and says to the soul, " I have loved thee with an everlasting
love, and with loving-kindness have I drawn thee." His love
to the poor soul was like a fire pent up in his breast, seeking
a vent and longing for a vent ; but, O ! when the day springs
from on high, the love of God runs out like a river, from
" the throne of God and the Lamb." And then it is a day
of love on the believer's side also ; the love of God being shed
abroad in his heart by the Holy Ghost, it makes his heart to
burn within him ; so that he loves the Lord with all his heart,
soul, strength, and mind. " Many waters cannot quench love,
neither are all floods able to drown it: if a man would give
all the substance of his house" to draw it away from Christ,
"it would utterly be contemned. Who shall separate us from
the love of Christ?" &c.

7. It is a day of grace ; for then it is that " grace reigns
through righteousness," in a triumphant manner. The essence
of grace lies in the freedom and liberality of love, without re-
gard to merit, or without any manner of constraint. O how
does the freedom of grace shine with a peculiar lustre and
majesty in the day of Christ's visit to the soul ! The soul that
before saw-God sitting on a throne of justice, expecting every
moment a sentence of condemnation from him, now sees him
in Christ sitting on a throne of grace, stretching out a sceptre
of grace, calling the sinner to come and receive grace and
mercy to help it in time of need. O how liberal is a God of
grace in Christ, when the day springs from on high ! He gives
himself, he gives his Son, he gives his spirit, he gives grace,
he gives glory, he gives all " the sure mercies of David," and
all " without money" or " price."

8. Christ's visit is a day of wonder ; for then the man sees
him whose name is " Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God,
The everlasting Father, The Prince of peace." The man
enters into a new world, " a new heaven, and a new earth
wherein dvvelleth righteousness." The man, when he looks
back to his former state of darkness, deadness, distance, can-
not miss to be surprised at the wonderful alteration of affairs
with him ; hence, in the day of Christ's visit in the morning of
conversion, the man is said to be " translated into a marvel-
lous light." The man wonders at Christ, as though he had
never heard of him before ; he wonders at the great mystery
of godliness, "God manifested in the flesh." He wonders at
the love of God in Christ, " O the height, the depth, the
breadth, and length of the love of God, which passeth know-
ledge !" He wonders at the freedom, fulness, stability of a
new covenant. He wonders to see Christ, the head of the

XIV.] THE DAY-SPRING FROM ON HIGH. 413

covenant, and all the promises of it " yea and amen in him."
In a word, he wonders at every thing ; and he wonders where
his eyes were, that he never saw these things before.

9. It is an everlasting day that springs from on high, when
Christ first visits the soul, a day that shall never end. Indeed
the light of the day may sometimes be sadly obscured, inso-
much that, to the believer's sense, he may be under a dark
night, and see no light: but, O! whenever the sun arises, he
shall never set again : no, no ; " the Lord shall be thy ever-
lasting light, and thy God thy glory."

V. The fifth thing was, to show why this day is said to
spring from on high. To this I answer in these two or three
things: —

1. Because Christ himself is the most high God, " the high
and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity." Indeed, Arians
would make him an inferior kind of Deity, as though he were
not the self-same independent, self-existent God with the Fa-
ther. But whatever others think or say, to derogate from his
glory, let us " honour him as we honour the Father;" for he
is " the mighty God, the everlasting Father, God blessed for
ever, the everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of all the
ends of the earth."

2. This day is said to spring from on high, because of his
royal descent and progeny, by eternal generation from his
Father ; he is " the only begotten of his Father," the same
in substance, equal in power and glory with him. O wonder,
sirs, that ever a person of his excellence should have stooped
so low, as to pay a visit to man upon earth ! and yet so it is,
that " the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us."

3. He is said to spring from on high, because he is the lead-
ing blessing that comes down from above, from the Father of
lights. He is the unspeakable gift of God, and the gift that
brings all gifts and graces in his train and retinue: "He that
spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how
shall he not with him also freely give us all things!" He it is
that brings down the new Jerusalem to the earth with him:
the greatest glory of heaven came, and visited this lower
world, when he came.

VI. The sixth thing is, the application. And the frst use
shall be of information, in the particulars following, Is it so,
that the day-spring from on high hath visited us? then,

1. See hence the amazing love of God to the lost family of
Adam. When angels sinned, they were ** reserved in chains
under darkness," and a night of eternal darkness continues
upon them : but when he passed them by, he made " the day*
spring from on high to visit us:" on which account we may
well take up that song, Psal. cxviii. 27: "God is the Lord,

35*

414 THE DAY-SPRING FROM ON HIGH. [SER.

which hath showed us light." O sirs, wonder and admire at
this love, that passe th all knowledge! John iii. 16: "God so
loved the world, that he gave his only hegotten Son," &c.
and, 1 John iv. 10: "Herein is love, not that we loved God,
but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation
for our sins."

2. See hence what great kindness and love lodges in the
heart of our Immanuel to perishing sinners. A visit is taken
as a token of love and kindness, especially the visit of one that
is far above us. If a nobleman, a king, a potentate, should
come and visit a beggar in his cottage, every body would im-
mediately conclude that he had a great kindness for that beg-
gar. Well, sirs, this is the case here ; the eternal Son of God
had such a kindness for Adam's family, that he would needs
pay us a visit. And O what a kindly visit was it! He was
not content barely to come and see how we did, and then
leave us as he found us, which is our custom when we visit
one another; no, but he would needs be related to us, " bone
of our bone, and flesh of our flesh;" and because we were
drowned in debt, he would needs become surety for us; and
because no less than blood would pay our debt, therefore
he "poured out, his soul unto death" for us, till justice said,
It is enough, and gave him a free discharge of our debt, in his
resurrection from the dead, by which we are " begotten again
unto a lively hope" of an everlasting "inheritance," that is
" incorruptible and undefiled." And not only has he done all
this, but he comes again and visits lost sinners in a gospel
dispensation, courting their kindness, beseeching them to be
reconciled to God through him, offering to betroth them to
himself for ever. O! is not this "good-will towards men on
earth," that may make every one of us to cry out, " Glory to
God in the highest," that " the day-spring from on high hath,
visited us?"

3. See hence what happy persons believers are : why, they
are "children of light, and of the day;" for the day-spring
from on high hath visited them. As there was light in Go-
shen, when all the rest of the land of Egypt was overspread
with darkness; so there is light in the dwellings of the right-
eous, when all the rest of the world is overspread with a worse
than Egyptian darkness. And therefore, what Moses said of
Israel, when comparing them with the rest of the nations, that
may we say of believers, the true Israel of God, " The people
shall dwell alone, and shall not be reckoned among the nations.
Happy art thou, O Israel : who is like unto thee, O people,
saved by the Lord, the shield of thy help, and who is the sword
of thy excellency !"

4. See hence the misery of all Christless, unbelieving sin-

XIV.J THE DAir-SPRING FROM ON HIGH. 415

ners: why, they are still in darkness, the day-spring from on
high never visited them. It is observable, the words of (he
apostle, speaking of sinners that are strangers to Christ ; they
are " darkness," Eph. v. 8 : "Once were ye darkness;" not
only are they dark, but they are darkness itself. O, for the
Lord's sake, come to " the true light which Jighteth every
man that cometh into the world." Come and see the light
of the Sun of righteousness : come, see and live. But more
of this afterward.

5. See hence whence it is that Christ is so precious, and
his visits so valuable to a believer. He himself is so precious
to them, that they esteem all things but dung and loss, in
comparison of him; he is far more excellent than all the
mountains of prey : and his visits are so valuable in their eyes,
that when he is absent they go " mourning without the sun ;"
all the world cannot comfort them, till they see him, and find
him: O empty ministers, empty ordinances, empty word and
sacraments, empty prayer and praise, till Christ himself come.
Why, the reason of it is this ; the day never springs till he
is come; and when he comes, he turns the shadow of death
into the morning; and the poor soul, when the day-spring
from on high visits it, " looks forth as the morning, fair as the
moon, and clear as the sun."

6. See hence, whence it is that the saints are lightened by
looking unto Jesus, Psal. xxxiv. 5: "They looked unto him,
and were lightened:" why, they cannot miss to be lightened,
when they see the day-spring from on high arising on their
souls ; then is that word fulfilled, Psal. xxx. 5 : " Weeping
may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning."

7. See hence, how it comes that the gospel is so glorious;
it is a dispensation of glory, and called " the glorious gospel
of the blessed God:" why, what makes it so full of glory?
why, the reason is, the gospel is the very vehicle of this day-
spring from on high, by which " the light of the knowledge
of the glory of God, in the face of Jesus Christ," is conveyed
to us. " Life and immortality is brought to light by the gos-
pel." O value and prize it, and improve it.

The seco?id use, at present, shall be in a word of exhortation,
in three branches.

The first branch of exhortation : Is it so, that the day-
spring from on high has visited us? O then, sirs, be exhorted
to come and see the beams of the day-spring, and see the glo-
rious things that he discovers by his light. O come and see
the day-spring from on high, and the beams of divine glory,
that have broken up in the manifestation of the Son of God
in our nature, and in the visit that he makes to us in a gospel
dispensation. O sirs, God the Father invites you, and calls

416 THE DAY-SPRING FROM OK HIGH. [SER.

you, " Behold my servant whom I uphold, mine elect in whom
my soul delighteth." He himself invites you to behold him,
" Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth."
Come and see the glory of his Father in him ; for he is " the
brightness of the Father's glory, and the express image of his
person ;" and " he that hath seen him, hath seen the Father,"
he being the same supreme God, the same independent, self-
existent, necessary Being, with the Father. O! woes us, that
such horrid blasphemy should be uttered against the Son of
God in the church of Scotland, as if he were an inferior kind
of deity, whereby we should have more gods than one. And
woes me, that blasphemy against the Son of God should not
meet with a deeper resentment in this church, than a bare
suspension of the blasphemer, and that he should have so
many to befriend him. But whatever others may say of him,
let us speak honourably of him, and own him to be 'the same
in substance, equal in power and glory,' with his eternal Fa-
ther. Time will not now allow me to enter upon this sub-
ject, and let you see how the name of God, the perfections of
God, the works of God, and the worship of God, is ascribed
to him in scripture. All I shall do at this time, is, only to take
notice of a few beams of divine glory, that are evidently to be
seen in this day-spring from on high.

1. Come and see a beam of adorable sovereignty in him ;
for he is the most high God, and there is no God greater than
he, no God above him. Gen. xxii. 1G, 17: there the Angel
speaks to Abraham out of heaven, and that angel was Christ,
as the apostle tells us, Heb. vi. He makes an oath to Abra-
ham, saying, "In blessing I will bless thee. By myself," says
he, "have I sworn." And if you ask the apostle, why he did
swear by himself? he will tell you, Heb. vi. 13, that " when
God made promise to Abraham, because he could swear by
no greater, he sware by himself."

2. Come and see a beam of eternity in this day-spring;
for he is the everlasting Father, or the Father of eternity, Is.
ix. 6: "I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end-
ing, the first and the last." " Before Abraham was, I am."
He was in the beginning, John i. 1 : " In the beginning was
the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was
God."

3. Come and see a beam of unchangeablcness in this morn-
ing star, Heb. i. 10 — 12, compared with Psal. cii. 25. Who
reads that word, Psal. cii. " Of old hast thou laid the founda-
tion of the earth, and the heavens are the work of thy hands,"
but immediately would understand it of the one only living,
true, and unchangeble God 1 It is impossible to understand

XIV.] THE DAY-SPRING FROM ON HIGH. 417

it of any other than of God himself. We see it expressly ap-
plied to Christ, Heb. i. 10—12.

4. Come and see a beam of adorable wisdom in this day-
spring, namely, in an incarnate God, 1 Cor. i. 24. Christ is
there called " the wisdom of God, yea the wisdom of God in
a mystery, the hidden wisdom of God ; all the treasures of
wisdom and knowledge are hid in him." Never did the wis-
dom of God display itself after such a manner, as it has done
in Christ, in bringing these two natures of God and man,
which were at an infinite distance, into a personal union one
with another. O sirs, a sight of this great wonder would
make you and me to join issue with the apostle, and say, "O
the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of
God ! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past
finding out !"

5. Come and see a ray of glorious and amazing power
springing up in the day-spring of his incarnation. Hence
Christ is called not only "the wisdom of God," but " the power
of God." The power of God is manifested in the creation of
the world, by a word speaking ; it is manifested in the govern-
ment of the world, and turning the great wheels of provi-
dence with an unerring steadiness : but never did God make
such a discovery of his power as he did in Christ, when he
brought infinite and finite, God and man, to centre in the per-
son of our Immanuel. O sirs, lift up the eye of faith, and see
Omnipotency exerting itself in " the man of God's right hand,"
whom he hath " made strong for himself." See him treading
down the strength of hell, turning the battle to the jjate, spoil-
ing principalities and powers, destroying death by death, lay-
ing the foundation of a happy eternity, in the death and blood
of his eternal Son.

6. Come and see a ray of divine holiness springing out
from an incarnate Deity. Isaiah, when he saw his glory, saw
the angels covering their faces with their wings, that they
might not be blinded and dazzled with the beauty of divine
holiness, crying one to another, " Holy, holy, holy is the Lord
of hosts ; the whole earth is full of his glory." Holiness shone
in his perfect obedience to the holy law, by which he not only
fulfilled it, but " magnified it," and " made it honourable."
Holiness shone in his death, in which he gave such a discovery
of his hatred of sin, that he would " finish " it, and " make an
end of" it, even at the expense of his blood.

7. Come and see a ray of awful and tremendous justice
shining forth in the day-spring of his incarnation. Was there
ever such an act of justice put forth, as that of bruising his
own Son? Sin was found in him by imputation: "It pleased
the Lord to bruise him:" he cried, "Awake, O sword, against

418 THE DAY-SPRING FROM ON HIGH. [SER.

the man that is my fellow; smite the shepherd." O sirs,
come and see justice satisfied, and judgment executed on the
Son of God as our surety, and this laid as the foundation of a
throne of grace, that so " he might be just, when he is the
justifier of them that believe in Jesus."

8. Come and see a bright ray of divine mercy and love
breaking forth in the day-spring of his incarnation ; the sound-
ing of his bowels, the beating of his blessed heart. O sirs,
what is Christ, but just the love of God wrapped up in flesh
and blood! 1 John iv. 9, 10. Here is the highest flight that
ever the love of God took : and higher it cannot mount. It
is observed by some divines, that the other attributes of God
are able to do more than they have done: infinite power can
make more worlds, infinite wisdom devise greater things than
ever yet appeared to man ; but as for the love of God, it has
stretched itself to the uttermost; it can go no farther: what
could he do more for us than to give his Son, the Son of his
love, to give him unto the death? "and how will he not with
him freely give us all things ?" " O the height, the depth, the
breadth, and the length of the love of Christ, which passeth
knowledge !"

9. Come and see a glorious ray of divine faithfulness in this
day-spring of a God manifested in the flesh. God made a
promise to our first parents in paradise, that " the seed of the
woman should bruise the head of the serpent;" that is, that
God should be incarnate, and, in our nature, overturn the de-
vil's kingdom and government. This was the hardest promise
that ever God made, and the most difficult to accomplish. —
Well, but he has done it : what was said in a way of prophecy
under the Old Testament, is now to us a piece of glorious
history, as a thing already done. O it is done, it is done;
" God is manifested in the flesh :" and so that first promise is
fulfilled; and it is "a faithful saying, worthy of all accepta-
tion." Now, I say, seeing this promise is fulfilled, all the rest
are easy ; and we may have no manner of doubt about them,
especially considering that they are all "yea and amen in
him;" they are all sworn to him as the great covenant head:
" Once have I sworn, I will not lie unto David. Thus I have
told you of some rays of divine grace that are to be seen in
this day-spring from on high.

I shall next tell you of some sweet sights that are to be seen
in the light that this day-spring from on high brings along
with him. You know, that the spring of the natural day dis-
covers things that lay hid under the darkness of the night;
so this day-spring from on high has brought glorious things to
light, which I invite you all to come and see. 1 name only
these few: —

XIV.] THE DAY-SPRING FROM ON HIGH. 419

1. Come and sec the council of peace opened, and what was
transacted among the persons of the glorious Trinity. We
are all naturally fond of secrets, to know what is in the
hearts of others ; and to know what God was doing, and what
were his thoughts before the world was made. Well, sirs,
the day-spring from on high brings this to light ; Christ has
opened the book, and loosed the seven seals of it, which none
else in heaven or earth were able to do. The Father, Son,
and Holy Ghost, were from eternity contriving a way in which
sinners might be saved, in a consistency with justice and the
law. Come and see the Father undertaking to send and up-
hold his Son in the great service of redemption ; the Son un-
dertaking to do his Father's will, by fulfilling the law, and
satisfying justice by his death ; and the Holy Ghost under-
taking the application of the whole to an elect world, in the
fulness of time.

2. Come and see the temple of God opened, for the dav-
spring from on high discovers this also ; for the temple of God
is opened now under the New Testament, a far more beauti-
ful temple than ever Solomon's was, though it was the won-
der of this lower world. But O here is a temple that is the
wonder of heaven and earth, it draws all the spectators in
the higher and lower house to behold it; and, sirs, what shall
I tell you? "God is in his holy temple, honour and majesty are
before his face, strength and beauty are in his holy place."
God dwelt in the temple of Solomon typically; but here in
the temple of the human nature he dwells really, yea, the ful-
ness of the Godhead dwells bodily here ; and every one that
sees him in this temple, sees " the brightness of the Father's
glory and the express image of his person."

3. The day-spring from on high is broken ; and therefore
come and see " the way opened to the holiest by the blood of
Jesus," even a new and living way consecrated for us. O sirs,
the door of access to God was immediately condemned and
shut up upon the entry of sin : but by the day-spring from
on high we may see it opened again, and our way to the
Father patent, and every step of the way sprinkled with the
blood of the Lamb, and God crying to you to come forward
to him " with boldness," yea, " to draw near with a true heart,
in full assurance of faith."

4. Come and see the Red sea divided, Jordan dried up, that
the Israel of God may have a safe and easy passage to the
promised land of glory. O sirs, there was a Red sea of
wrath, a deep Jordan of death, and of the law's curse, be-
tween us and glory, but Christ has " drunk of the broak in
the way," yea, he has drunk it dry by his obedience unto the
death.

420 THE DAY-SPRING FROM ON HIGH. [sER.

5. Come and see " the pure river of water of life, proceed-
ing out of the throne of God and of the Lamb." The spring
of day has discovered this also, a river of pardoning, justifying,
sanctifying, comforting, establishing, strengthening, and sin-
killing grace, proceeding out of a throne of grace, and a
voice coming out of the throne, saying, " Whosoever will, let
him come, and drink of the water of life freely. — Ho, every
one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath
no money; come ye, buy and eat, yea, come buy wine and
milk, without money and without price."

6. Come and see the tree of life that grows in the upper
Paradise, which bears twelve manner of fruits, and whose
leaves are for the healing of the nations. O sirs, here is a
sight worthy to be seen 1 Indeed, Christ himself, that blessed
branch that springs from on high, as the text may be rendered;
the boughs of the tree are so loaded with fruit, that they bow
down from heaven to earth, that we may sit down under its
shadow, and taste of the sweetness of these fruits.

7. Come and see the royal law of God, which was violated
and broken in the first Adam, again magnified and made ho-
nourable by Christ the second Adam, and its Lord well pleased
for his righteousness' sake; come and see this righteousness
of the law fulfilled in us who believe, Christ being" the end
of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth." O
sirs, is not this a wonder to see God fulfilling his own law as
a surety for the broken sinner, and imputing his righteousness
to us for justification'? yet this the day-spring brings to light.

8. Come and see the round sum that our Cautioner paid to
justice; not indeed a sum of silver and gold, but the precious
blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, as of a lamb without spot ;
blood which is the blood of God, blood of more value than
heaven and earth, blood sufficient to ransom ten thousand
worlds, as to its interna! value ; blood crying " for better things
than the blood of Abel."

9. Comeandsce the new covenant confirmed and establish-
ed : the day-spring discovers this also. Adam's covenant was
broken, and we are all lying under the curse of it by nature ;
but, lo, here a far better covenant, even a covenant of grace,
of which Christ is the surety, having sealed it with his blood,
and appended new visible seals to it under the New Testa-
ment, baptism and the Lord's supper, the last of which we
are this day about to celebrate. Come and see the fulness,
freedom, comely order, stability, and perpetuity of this cove-
nant, and how it stands fast in Christ.

10. Come and see the head of the old serpent bruised, by his
bruising the heel of the woman's seed: " For this purpose the
Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works

XIV.] THE DAY-SPRING FROM ON HIGH. 421

of the devil." "He spoiled principalities and powers, and
triumphed over them in his cross." So that, heliever, thou
mayest take courage, for thou hast only a routed, broken, and
shattered enemy to grapple with.

11. Come and see death, that last enemy, destroyed by the
death of a Redeemer; for " he has destroyed death," as well
as " him that had the power of it." The day-spring from on
high lets us see light even in the valley of the shadow of
death, so as we need not fear any evil from it ; but on the
contrary, that we may rejoice over it as a slain and disarmed
enemy, saying, " O death, where is thy sting 1 O grave, where
is thy victory ?" Yea, the day-spring from on high lets us see
through the grave, and the sweet morning of the resurrection
on the other side of it ; so that we may sing and say with Job,
Our " Redeemer lives ; and therefore, though worms destroy
our bodies, yet in our flesh shall we see God."

12. Come and see a complete discharge of the debt that we
owed to justice, in the resurrection of our glorious Surety.
This, also, may be read by the light of this day-spring from on
high. As Christ died for our offences, or for the punishment
of our debt, so he rose again for our justification, or to de-
clare that he had brought in everlasting righteousness, on the
account of which we are discharged of the debt, and ac-
cepted as righteous in the sight of God. O sirs, Christ rose
from the dead in the capacity of a Surety and Representative;
and, therefore, wre are said to rise in him, and with him, Col.
iii. 1 ; Eph. ii. 6. Our surety, did not steal out of prison, or
break it; no, but " he was taken from prison and from
judgment :" the prison-door was opened by an express order
from the court of heaven ; and, therefore, upon the third day,
early in the morning, a messenger was despatched from the
throne of justice to roll away the stone from the door of the
sepulchre. O sirs, the lively view of this mystery of love
and grace, in the resurrection of Christ, would make us all
to take up that sweet doxology, 1 Pet. i. " Blessed be the
God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, (the Father of
mercies,) which, according to his abundant mercy, hath be-
gotten us again unto a lively hope, by the resurrection of
Jesus Christ from the dead."

13. Come and see an angry and inexorable Deity looking
out to us as a God of peace in the light of this day-spring
from on high. And how can he be but a God of peace, see-
ing he has brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus
Christ? If he were not a God of peace, would he ever have
testified his acceptance of the satisfaction at the hand of our
Surety at such a rate 1 No, surely. And, therefore, when we
look up to a risen Christ, sitting in our nature at the right

vol. i. 36

422 THE DAY-SPRING FROM ON HIGH. [SER.

hand of God, we may warrantably conclude, that " though
he was angry, yet his anger is turned away. Behold, God is
our salvation : we will trust and not be afraid ; for the Lord
Jehovah is our strength and oar song, he also is become our
salvation," Is. xiii. 1, 2.

14. As an evidence that he is a God of peace, a reconciled
God in Christ, come and see him making for all people in the
mount of the gospel, " a feast of fat things, a feast of wines
on the lees, of fat things full of marrow, of wines on the lees
well refined." O sirs, the day-spring from on high discovers
a well-covered table of the blessings of heaven, of all " the sure
mercies of David," presented and ready for our entertainment,
with a frank invitation and call to every one, to " come and
eat of this bread, and drink of the wine that he has mingled."
And, O sirs, we tell you in the name of God, that you have
as good a right to take and eat, to receive and apply Christ,
and his whole fulness as held out in the dispensation of the
gospel, as ever you had to a meal of meat when it was set be-
fore you. And, therefore, " Eat, O friends, drink, yea, drink
abundantly, O beloved."

15. Come and see that life which was lost, forfeited by the
fall of the first Adam, recovered and lying ready for us in the
hand of the second Adam. Christ, as the second Adam, stept
into the room of the first Adam, and fulfilled every point and
article of the covenant of works, which required perfect obe-
dience as the condition of life. And, therefore, life now be-
longs to him ; and accordingly this life is in the Son: God has
given to him eternal life, John xvii. 2; 1 John v. 11. He is
the new heir of eternal life, and of all the promises that be-
long to it. O sirs, is not this good news, that our Goel, our
kind kinsman, has bought back the mortgaged and forfeited
inheritance?

16. Come and see our kinsman and elder Brother assigning
and making over himself and his right to eternal life to us
in a new testament, or new and better covenant. " God hath
given eternal life unto us" in his word of grace and promise,
1 John v. 11. This testament, this promise, this grant, this
offer of life, is made to every man and woman that hears the
gospel, or reads the Bible, with an express command to search
the testament, that therein he may find eternal life: and we
had need to fear " lest a promise being left us of entering
into his rest, any of us should come short of it." O sirs, be
not like fools, having a price put in their hands, yet have no
wisdom to improve it.

17. Come and see to read, and subscribe all these as the re-
cord of a glorious Trinity ; for the day-spring from on high
discovers this also. The " three that bear record in heaven,

XIV.] THE DAY-SPRING FROM ON HIGH. 423

the Father, the Word, and the Spirit," attest all this in the
capacity of habile witnesses; they have deponed upon the
truth of every thing I have been saying ; particularly on the
truth of this, " that God hath given to us eternal life : and
this life is in his Son." And, therefore, come and see to set
to your seal, that God is true ; for if you do not, you make
God a liar by unbelief; for which crime you are condemned
already.

Object. 1. These are indeed sweet discoveries that are made
by the day-spring from on high; but O, say you, how shall
we come by a sight of them 1 A?mv. You must open your
eyes, that the light of day may enter in to you. Let the
day-light shine ever so brightly, or whatsoever beautiful de-
sirable objects may be round about a man, yet he cannot see
while his eyes are shut; and, therefore, you must needs open
your eyes, if you would see the day-spring from on high, and
the discoveries that it makes.

Object. 2. You bid me open my eyes, but, alas ! I want a
visual faculty, and you may as well bid a man that is stone-
blind to open his eyes, as speak after that manner to me ; for
I was born blind, and therefore cannot see. Anszv. 1. We
would think you brought a good length, if you were but really
sensible of your spiritual or soul blindness ; for the most part
that we have to deal with, are just like the Pharisees, who
said to Christ, Are we blind also? They think they see well
enough, while indeed they are stark blind like moles in the
things of God. (2.) Remember that it is not we, but God
himself, that bids you who are blind look up and see this day-
spring from on high : Is. xlii. 1 : " Behold my servant whom
I uphold. Look unto me, and be ye saved." And, there-
fore, in obedience to him who commands, attempt, and strive,
and essay to open your eyes, and see these glorious things,
which the day-spring from on high discovers ; for it is in this
way that he recovers sight to the blind. He that bids you
look and see, also counsels you to buy of him eye-salve, that
you may see. (3.) Follow the example of blind Bartimeus.
Christ is coming this way to-day, for his way is in his sanc-
tuary; and while you hear the sound of his retinue or at-
tendants on this occasion, lift up your voice to him, and say,
" Jesus, thou son of David, have mercy on me, and let me
receive my sight:" only ask in faith, nothing doubting of his
ability and willingness to do it ; for it is his promise to " open
blind' eyes, to make the lame to leap like a hart, and the
tongue of the dumb to sing." This much then for my first
exhortation, to come and see the day-spring from on high, see
his glorious rays, and the glorious discoveries that he has
made to a lost world, I proceed now to a

424 THE DAY-SPRING FROM ON HIGH. [sER.

Second exhortation. Is it so that the day-spring from on
high hath visited us ? Has he visited us by an actual assuming
of our nature, which he is now wearing in heaven? and does
he visit us with the offers of his grace and love in a gospel-
dispensation ? O'then be exhorted and entreated to receive
and entertain his visit. Bid him welcome ; and say, "Blessed
is he that cometh in the name of the Lord to save us."
What is faith? we are always calling you to believe; and if you
ask what it is, here is a plain and easy answer: It is just to re-
ceive and welcome the Son of God, the Saviour of sinners,
coming to visit you in the gospel call and offer. You all
know what it is to receive a visit from a friend ; when yoU
receive him you bid him welcome, you open your door to him,
you give him his errand, and entreat him to stay with you.
So to believe, is to entertain the visit of him that brings the
day-spring from on high along with him ; it is to make open
doors to him, to lift up the everlasting gates of your souls,
and bid him hearty welcome, and to give him his errand, by
trusting him in his saving, justifying, sanctifying, and recon-
ciling work.

O sirs, need 1 use any motives or arguments to persuade
you to entertain the visit of the day-spring from on high ?
You welcome the day-visit of the natural sun in the firma-
ment ; and will you not welcome and receive the visits of the
Sun of righteousness, who comes with healing under his wings
to you? However, because sad experience tells us that they
are but few who do really entertain his visit that he makes in
a gospel dispensation ; yea, it is the hardest matter in the
world to persuade sinners to give him a hearty welcome; I
shall offer a few gospel considerations to your rational facul-
ties to persuade you. And while we are speaking, O be call-
ing up to heaven, that God himself, by a sweet and irresisti-
ble power, may persuade and enable you to make his visits
welcome.

Consider then, 1. Who he is, and whence he comes. O!
well may we cry out, " Who is this that cometh from Edom,
with dyed garments from Bozrah ?" Men and angels cannot
declare his generation. Such is his excellency, that we can-
not frame to pronounce his name, or call him " Lord, but by
the Holy Spirit." His name is the " King of kings, and
Lord of lords, the Prince of the kings of the earth." O who
would refuse to welcome his visits, who " humbles himself"
when he " beholds things that are in heaven!" And then
will you consider from whence he comes; he comes from a
far country, the land afar off; he has left his royal palace,
and all the pleasures that he had with his Father before th&
world was, to visit you, and yet will you not make him weU

XIV.J THE DAY-SPRING FROM ON HIGH. 425

come ? If a gpeat king should undertake a journey from the
uttermost wings of the earth to make a visit to any of you,
would you bid him depart from you? would you cast your
door in his face when he were come '? Well, sirs, this is the
case; and therefore, O receive and entertain his visit that he
makes to you in the dispensation of the glorious gospel.

2. Consider what is his errand, when he comes to visit us
from on high. Indeed, you and I might have expected a visit
of wrath and vengeance, that he should come to resent his
own and his Father's quarrel, for the contempt of his autho-
rity, and the violation of his holy law. But, O sirs, what
shall 1 tell you, " Christ came not to condemn the world, but
that the world through him might be saved; the Son of man
came to seek and save that which was lost :" he came to de-
liver you out of the hands of your enemies, that you may
" serve him without fear, in holiness and righteousness before
him all the days of your life." His errand in his visit that
he is making this day, is to hide you from the stormy wind
and tempest of God's wrath, that is ready to break upon you,
and overwhelm you for ever. His errand is to wash you, be-
cause you are polluted, plunged in a ditch, so that your own
clothes abhor you ; and he is saying to the filthy sinner, " I
will sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean :
from all your filthiness, and from all your idols will I cleanse
you." His errand is to heal you, because you are over-run
with wounds, bruises, and putrefying sores : thou art like the
poor man that was lying wounded half dead between Jeru-
salem and Jericho ; he is the tender-hearted Samaritan come
to bind up and heal thy wounds. He sees thee stark naked,
without a rag to cover thee ; and, therefore, his errand is to
" clothe " thee " with the garments of salvation," and to
" cover " thee " with the robe of righteousness." His errand
is to open thy prison-doors, to knock off thy fetters, and to
confer a glorious liberty upon you. O sirs, who is it in his
right wits that would refuse to entertain a visit from one that
comes upon such an errand 1

3. Consider what rough ways, what thorny paths, what
hardships and difficulties he has gone through, in paying a
visit to you in the gospel dispensation. He had the wrath
of his Father, the rage of men and devils, to encounter in his
way. He was torn in pieces ; his soul and body rent asunder
in his way to you. He was hunted like the hind of the
morning, and chased up and down by the hounds of heM, till
they slew him on mount Calvary ; and all for your sake, and
out of kindness to you. In a word, mountains were in his
way ; but he came " leaping upon the mountains, and skip-
ping upon the hills," Seas of blood and wrath were in his

36*

426 THE DAY-SPRING FROM ON HIGH. [SER.

way ; but he wades them all to pay you a visit. And yet
when he is come through all these, and innumerable more
hardships out of kindness to you, O will you not make him
welcome when he is come ?

4. Will you consider how near he is come to you in this
day-spring of gospel-light. He is come so near in his visit,
that he is even at thy door : " Behold I stand at thy door and^
knock." His visit is so near, that thou needest not " ascena
into heaven, nor descend into the deep," in quest of him :
" The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart;
that is, the word of faith which we preach." And when he
himself comes near, he brings his righteousness and salvation
along with him," Is. xlvi. 13. Now, why is he come so near
to visit thee with his righteousness and salvation, but that
thou mayst give him a kindly welcome? O say, "This is a
faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Je-
sus came into the world to save sinners."

5. You are concluded under a royal law, enacted by the
authority of Heaven, to entertain the visit of this day-spring
from on high; and a law which is fenced with the severest pe-
nalty, if it be disobeyed. The law is recorded, 1 John iii. 23:
" This is his commandment, that we should believe on the
name of his Son Jesus Christ:" and this God looks upon as
the Alpha and Omega of our work and business in the world,
John vi. 29: " This is the work of God, that ye believe on him
whom he hath sent." And unless you welcome the visit that
his Son makes you, no other work or service you do him can
be accepted; for "without faith it is impossible to please
him." And, therefore, sirs, consider, it is not left optional to
you to entertain his visit or not ; no, if you do not, you are
guilty of rebellion against God, and of disobedience to the
great command that was issued out from the throne of glory
above; and "disobedience is as the sin of witchcraft," which
is to be punished with burning.

6. Consider how well he takes it, when his visit is received,
when he is entertained in a way of believing: O it is " the
day of the gladness of his heart ;" he comes in, and sups with
us, and we with him. Christ rejoiced in Spirit, when an ac-
count was brought to him, that his gospel was received
through the cities of Israel. He takes it so kindly when his
visits are entertained, that he comes in, and fixes his rest and
abode in the soul, never to depart: he says, " This is my rest
for ever: here will I dwell, for I have desired it."

7. Consider that this visit of the day-spring from on high
will not always last ; I mean his visits, in a gospel dispensation
will come to an end. We read sometimes in scripture of a
day of grace, a day of salvation, a day which is the sinner's;

XIV.] THE DAY-SPRING FROM ON HIGH. 427

day : " If thou hadst known in this thy day, the things which
belong unto thy peace !" says the Lord to Jerusalem. Jeru-
salem's day was the day in which Christ visited them in his
own person, and by the ministry of his apostles, opening up
the great mystery of salvation : that day of theirs is now set,
and a long dark night is come upon them ; " the things that
belong to their peace are hid from their eyes." So, sirs, this
is the day in which Christ, the Sun of righteousness, is visit-
ing you ; but you know not how soon he may withdraw, and
" leave our house desolate ;" he may lift his tent, and remove
to another place of the world. But however the day of gospel
light may be continued in the land, yet death will put an end
to it, as to every individual person in a very little. And
therefoi'e, O, for the Lord's sake, entertain him, while his
visiting-day continues. This is the "acceptable time, this is
the day of salvation." " If ye will hear his voice, harden not
your hearts," lest he " swear, that ye shall never enter into
his rest."

8. To engage you to entertain and welcome the visit of the
day-spring from on high, consider that he is loath at his very
heart to go away with a slight: he hales parting and putting
aivay ; he does not think of departing without getting a wel-
come: Hos. xi. 8 : " How shall I give thee up, Ephraim ? how
shall I deliver thee, Israel 1 how shall I make thee as Admah ?
how shall I set thee as Zeboim ? Mine heart is turned within
me, my repentings are kindled together."

9. His heart is saddened to the last degree, when his visits
are not entertained; he wept over Jerusalem, saying, " If thou
hadst known, even thou, at least in this thy day, the things
which belong unto thy peace! but now they are hid from
thine eyes." O sirs, how can you find in your heart to sad-
den his heart, that brings the day-spring from on high with
him ? Christ had many a sad heart, when he was here upon
earth; he was "a man of sorrows, and acquainted with griefs:"
but will you make his heart sad now, when he is in heaven?
There is nothing has such a tendency to sadden his heart in
heaven, as to see sinners rejecting the visits and offers of his
grace and love, that he makes to them by the gospel.

10. If you do not entertain the visits of his grace nowr, he
will visit you in another manner ; he will pay you a sad visit.
Perhaps he may visit you in a way of awful wrath and judg-
ment, even on this side of time : " Shall I not visit for these
things? and shall not my soul be avenged on such a nation as
this?" Sometimes sad temporal judgments follow upon the
rejection of Christ, even in this life. But though you may
perhaps escape temporal strokes, yet there is a sad visit
abiding you at death and the last judgment ; when Christ ap-

428 THE DAY-SPRING FROM ON HIGH. [SER.

pears in his glory, rearing up his tribunal in the clouds, then
you who would not entertain his visits of grace, shall begin
to weep and wail : Rev. i. 7 : " Behold he cometh with clouds ;
and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced
him : and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him."

0 sirs," let these things prevail with you to entertain the visit
the day-spring from on high is making to you in the gospel
dispensation.

Object. 1. You bid me entertain his gospel visit; but, alas !

1 am ever thinking, that his visit is to others, and not to me.
I answer, That is just the art and subterfuge of unbelief; un-
der a pretended modesty it will not receive Christ's visits, as
if his visits were for others, and not for thy soul in particular.
But, sirs, allow me to tell you, that though unbelief may carry
a blush of pretended humility in its countenance, yet it is no-
thing but devilish pride at the root or bottom. But what-
ever may be the surmise of unbelief, yet I can assure you, in
the name of God, that his visit in the gospel dispensation is
to thee, man, to thee, woman, as particularly as if thou wert
named by name and surname; he stands at every individual
man's door, and knocks, saying, " Open to me, and I will
come in ;" and to you is the voice of Wisdom directed, even
to the " sons of men." And therefore, take it home and apply
it to yourself in particular, with as great assurance as though
you heard a voice out of heaven, calling you by name and
surname.

Object. 2. I would fain receive his visit, but I think I see
great mountains between him and me, he is behind the moun-
tains, and I am far off from him, and he is far away from me.
Answ. Jesus Christ is not so far off, as every unbelieving heart
would suggest; for, "behold he standeth behind our wall,
waiting to see if we will rue upon him, and receive his visit.
Thou sayest thou art afar off, but his voice is even to such,
Is. lvii. 19: " 1 create the fruit of the lips; peace, peace to
him that is far off, and to him that is neai\ The promise is
unto you and to your children, and to all that are afar off,"
says Peter to his hearers, Acts ii. 39 ; and the same say I unto
you. You say there are mountains between him and you ;
but " behold he cometh leaping upon the mountains, and
skipping upon the hills." If thou wilt but give him entertain-
ment, he will make all mountains as a plain at his presence :
" Jordon is driven back ; the mountains skip away like rams,
and the little hills like lambs."

Object. 3. My sins are so great, that he will never visit me.
Amvu. See him visitino; the greatest of sinners with the offers
of his love and grace, Is. i. 18 : " Come now, and let us rea-
son together, saith the ^ord : though your sins be as scarlet,

XIV.] THE DAY-SPRI1VG FROM ON HIGH. 429

they shall be as white as snow ; though they be red like crim-
son, they shall be as wool."

Object. 4. I am a condemned sinner, under sentence of death
from the holy law ; therefore his visits cannot be to me. Anszv.
He comes to visit you and me, because we are condemned
to die. His visit that he made in his incarnation, was " to
them that were under the law, to redeem them, that we might
receive the adoption of sons. And if you will receive his visit
in the gospel, the sentence of condemnation shall that moment
be taken off you ; for " he that believeth on the Son of God,
is not condemned ; yea, there is no condemnation to them
which are in Christ Jesus."

Object. 5. I am vile, filthy, and polluted ; therefore his vi-
sit is not to me. Answ. " Though thou hast lien among the
pots, he will make thee as the wings of a dove, covered with
silver, and her feathers with yellow gold." He is saying to
thee this day, "Wilt thou be made clean'? I will sprinkle
clean water upon thee, and thou shalt be clean : from all thy
filthiness, and from all thine idols will 1 cleanse thee."

Object. 6. I have refused his visits in the gospel so often,
that I am afraid he is gone, he is departed, and will never
come again. Answ. Jer. iii. 1 : " Though thou hast played
the harlot with many lovers ; yet return again to me, saith
the Lord." He calls backsliders to return, and he will heal
their backslidings.

Object. 7. I do not know if 1 be among the elect that were
given to Christ ; and, if so, his visit is not to me. Answ. His
visits and offers of grace in the gospel are to sinners, to " men,
and to the sons of men;" and if thou find thy name there,
thou hast no reason to exclude thyself. You begin at the
wrong end of things, when you meddle with the decrees of
God, which are secret things, and belong to the Lord. Look,
first, to the things that are revealed in the word and that is
the way to arrive at the knowledge of the secret designs of
his heart ; and, for your encouragement to take this way, I
never yet heard it miscarry. They who, take God at his
word, and hold him at his word, find themselves among the
number of the elect ; whereas they that will needs begin first
to search God's secret decree, and die in this way of doing,
find themselves among the number of reprobates in the
end. And therefore meddle you first with things that are
revealed, " search the scriptures," consult the oracles of the
word, read your name there, and see whether or not Christ
be speaking to you, and visiting you there: and thus you shall
know that love lies in his heart to you.

Object. 8. You bid me receive Christ's visits ; but, alas !
how can I do it ? I have no entertainment for him, Answ.

430 THE DAY-SPRING FROM ON HIGH. [SER.

He brings entertainment with him. When his visit is re-
ceived, he comes and he sups with us, and causes us to sup
with him. If you think that you have any entertainment but
what he brings with him, I have little hope of you indeed.

Object. 9. I am a poor hard-hearted sinner, my heart is
like a piece of the nether millstone. Answ. Entertain his visit ;
for " he takes away the stony heart, and gives the heart of
flesh."

Object. 10. I am so impotent, that I cannot open to him
when he comes ; how can I receive his visit, when the key
of the heart hangs only at his own girdle? A?isw. He comes
to visit thee because thou art impotent, to give thee strength ;
and he has said, that he will " give power to the faint, and
increase strength to them that have no might :" only put the
work in his hand, and he will " work all thy works in thee
and for thee."

A third branch of exhortation from the doctrine is this ; I
exhort you, and call you not only to receive the visit that he
is making to you in the gospel dispensation, but look up to
him for a visit of his special grace and love, on this occasion
to your own souls. O pray that the day-spring may break
up among us. Believe, expect, hope, and trust for a visit of
the glorious " Sun of righteousness, the bright and morning
Star, that in his temple every one may speak of his glory."
1 say it again, that I would have you to hope, believe, trust,
and wait for a visit of the influences of his Spirit, of the dis-
coveries of his glory, of the light of his countenance to your
own souls, on this occasion. I am persuaded, that it would,
fare better with us, if we were more taken up in trusting,
and hoping, and expecting of good at the Lord's hand. Many
persons go to pray, go to hear the word, go to a sacrament;
but they do it as if no good were to be got at the Lord's hand,
as if the master of the feast kept a narrow house, and grudged.
to give of his goodness to his guests. They think, that his
liberal offers, and calls, and invitations are only from the teeth
forward. But, O sirs, this is a reflection on our glorious Lord
and Master, and I would have you entertain better thoughts
of him, and to come with expectation and hope of a visit of
the day-spring from on high.

Here I shall show, 1. What advantages a visit of the day-
spring brings along with it. 2. What grounds your faith and
hope have to go upon, in expecting it, and looking for it.

The first thing is, to tell you of some advantages a visit of
the day-spring from on high brings along with him.

1. His visits by his Spirit's influences and communications
of his grace and love, whether in conversion, or in renewed
manifestations, bring life with them to the dead sinner or the

XIV.] THE DAY-SPRING FROM ON HIGH. 431

languishing saint and believer. And O how can it be other-
wise! for he is the Lord and Prince oflife ; he is " the resur-
rection and the life, the way, the truth, and the life." When-
ever he comes near to the dead sinner, the Spirit of life enters
into him, though he were as dead as the dry bones that were
scattered about the grave's mouth. And whenever he comes
near to the languishing believer, he revives as the corn, when
a warm shower of the rain of heaven falls upon it. The
fields laugh, the bi*ead of corn, that was withered, pricks up
its head, and looks pleasant, with a shower of rain, and a
warm blink of the sun. Just the same effect has a visit of
the day-spring from on high on the soul : " I will be as the
dew unto Israel :" and what then 1 " He shall grow as the
lily, and cast forth his roots as Lebanon. They that dwell
under his shadow shall return ; they shall revive as the corn,
and grow as the vine ; the scent thereof shall be as the wine
of Lebanon," Hos. xiv. 5, 7.

2. A visit of this day-spring from on high brings riches
and wealth along with it ; and no wonder, for he is " the heir
of all things. In him are hid all the treasures of wisdom
and knowledge ;" unsearchable riches are with him. And
when he visits the soul with his salvation, he does as the wise
men of the east did to him, when they came and saw him in
his swaddling clothes, they made a present of gold to him ;
and he makes a present of gold when he visits the soul, far
better than the gold of Ophir ; yea, he says to the soul, as
he said to his Father in his prayer, John xvii. " All mine
are thine ;" ail that I have is thine ; I am thine, and all that
follow me ; all the treasures of my grace and glory, I assign
them, and make them over to thee. O ! is not such a visit
valuable?

3. Christ's visit brings honour along with it : " Riches and
honour are with me. Ever since thou wast precious in my
sight, thou hast been honourable." When this day-spring
visits the soul, he sets the soul on high ; " he raiseth up the
poor soul out of the dust, and lifteth the needy out of the
dunghill : that he may set him with princes, even with the
princes of his people," Psal. cxiii. 7, 8. It is nothing else but
a visit of this day-spring, that makes the believer " more ex-
cellent than his neighbour."

4. His visits bring alacrity, joy, and cheerfulness along with
them. When this day-star arises in the heart of a sinner,
that has been wading through the blackness and darkness of
a law-tempest, O what a strange alteration does he make in
the soul ! The poor thing that was expecting every moment
to drop into hell, begins to " rejoice in the hope of the glory
of God." David, Psal. cxvi. 3, is crying out through the ter-

432 THE DAY-SPRING FROM ON HIGH* [sER»

rors of the law and of conscience, and the melancholy ap-
prehensions of vindictive wrath, " The sorrows of death
compassed me, and the pains of hell gat hold upon me ; I
found trouble and sorrow :" however, the day-spring from on
high arises on his- soul, in the following part of the psalm,
and thereupon he alters his note, and chants and sings to the
praises of the Lord, saying, " 1 was brought low, and he
helped me. What shall I render unto the Lord, for all his
benefits towards me ? I will take the cup of salvation, and
call upon the name of the Lord."

5. A visit of the day-spring brings strength with it to the
weak and weary soul. " He giveth power to the faint, and to
them that have no might, he increaseth strength. O ! when-
ever he comes, he makes the feeble as David, and as the angel
of God before him. The man who had no might becomes
strong for work, saying, " Lord, what wilt thou have me to
do ?" strong for war, the arms of his hands are " made strong
through the mighty God of Jacob ;" strong for enduring trials
and arflictions/saying, " Though he should slay me, yet will
I trust in him. — Who shall separate me from the love of
Christ?" In a word, the man that was sinking through de-
spondency, by the prevailing of unbelief, becomes " strong in
faith, giving glory to God."

6. A visit of the day-spring from on high makes the timo-
rous and faint-hearted soul courageous, and bold as a lion.
The poor thing that durst not look God in the face, through
a sense of guilt, but was like the timorous dove, hiding him-
self in the clefts of the rock, when a visit comes, it lifts up
its face with a holy and humble boldness : " Having, brethren,
boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus." It
comes with boldness to a throne of grace, for " grace and
mercy to help in time of need." And then the man gets
boldness toward all his accusers, so that he dare look the law
and conscience, the devil and the world, in the face, saying,
" Who can lay any thing to my charge 1 It is God that justi-
fieth : who is he that condemneth 1 It is Christ that died, yea
rather that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of
God, who also maketh intercession for me." He gets such
boldness by the visit of the day-spring from on high, that he
can now " go to the altar of God, to God his exceeding joy."
He is not afraid to go to a communion-table, lest he eat and
drink damnation to his soul ; no, he sees it to be a cup of sal-
vation : and therefore eats and drinks with a merry heart,
knowing his right to the children's bread. He gets such bold-
ness and courage when the visit comes, when the day-spring
arises, that he dare look death, the king of terrors, in the face,
with a holy courage and bravery, saying, with David, Psal.

XIV.] THE DAY-SPRING FROM ON HIGH. 433

xxiii. 4 : " Yea, though I walk through the valley of the sha-
dow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me, thy
rod and thy staff they comfort me." Thus you see some of
the great advantages that accompany and attend a visit of
the day-spring from on high.

I shall next give you some advices in order to obtain a visit
of this day-spring.

1. Trust and believe it : " Said I not unto thee, that if
thou wouldst believe, thou shouldest see the glory of God V
John xi. 40: "After that ye believed, ye were sealed with
that holy Spirit of promise, which is the earnest of our in-
heritance."

2. Hope for it ; for " he takes pleasure in them that fear
him, and in those that hope in his mercy. — The expectation
of the poor shall not perish." See Jer. xvii. 7.

3. Long for it ; for " he satisfieth the longing soul, and fill-
eth the hungry soul with goodness."

4. Pray for it; for ''he hears the desire of the humble, be
will prepare their hearts, and cause his ear to hear." Han-
nah prayed for it, and she got it. David prayed for it, and
he got it.

5. Wait for it ; for " the Lord is a God of judgment, blessed
are all they that wait on him."

6. Study purity in heart and life : " Blessed are the pure in
heart : for they shall see God." Psal. xv. 1, and Psal. xxiv.

But now, secondly, you may be ready to say, You bid us
trust and hope for such a visit as this of the day-spring from
on high; but O will you tell me what I have to build my
faith and hope upon as to this matter. In general, I would
have you to remember, that faith or believing, or trusting in
the Lord, is the stated way laid down to us in the word ; it is
the method that God has prescribed to us for receiving any
good at his hand, either in time, or through eternity. We
are told that " without faith, it is impossible to please God;"
but, on the other hand, every thing we do, though it were
but the weakest effort of obedience, pleases him, when it is
done in faith. And he has established an inseparable con-
nexion between faith and every mercy or blessing of his
covenant : the covenant is, as it were, the well where tho
water of the Redeemer's grace and fulness is laid out to us:
but faith is the bucket that draws, and the mouth that drinks
it. Would you see the salvation of God ? Well, believing
is the way to it : " Said I not unto thee, that if thou wouldst
believe, thou shouldst see the glory of God ?" Would you
share of the blessings of divine mercy and grace 1 Faith or
believing is the way to get them ; for " he that trusteth in
the Lord, mercy shall compass him round." Would you

vol. i. 37

434 THE DAY-SPRING FROM ON HIGH. [SER.

have the Spirit of Christ, and his saving influences to rest on
you? Well, this is to be had by faith: " Afier that ye be-
lieved, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, which
is the earnest of your inheritance." So would you have a
visit of the day-spring from on high 1 then you must take
heed, in a way of believing, unto the sure word of prophecy
or promise, " until the dawn, and the day-star arise in your
hearts," 2 Pet. i. 19. •

But, say you, You bid us always believe and hope for a
visit of the day-spring from on high ; but what have we to
build our faith and hope upon as to this matter 1 for my part,
may the poor soul say, 1 have been endeavouring at the
work of self-searching and examination on ihis occasion, and
after all, I can find no ground in myself to expect that the
day-spring from on high will visit me, but just on the con-
trary. I find upon trial, so much sin, so much ignorance, so
much unbelief, so much untenderness in my way and walk,
as makes me fear and apprehend, that if he visit me at all,
he will visit me in a way of wrath, and not in a way of
mercy ; and therefore it is in vain to bid me trust or hope for
a visit of the day-spring.

Answ. I would have you here carefully to remark and no-
tice a trick of Satan, and of a deceitful and desperately
wicked heart, to lead the soul off from the foundation of faith
and hope that God has laid in Zion. Satan, and a deceitful
heart together, are ever telling us to seek the foundation of
faith and hope within ourselves; and if we cannot find it
there, then they bid us say, there is no hepe, no ground to ex-
pect any good at the hand of God ; and so when a person, in
obedience to the command of God, has, upon trial, found in
himself a mass of iniquity, darkness and unbelief, his hands
are rather more weakened for his work than before, and
more discouraged. But, sirs, would you know what is the
great design of self-searching and examination ; it is not that
you may find a ground of faith and hope within you, but that
by seeing the ills of your hearts, by seeing your deadness, your
darkness, your enmity, your unbelief, your wants and weak-
ness of any created grace in you, you may be carried quite
out of yourselves, to seek a ground of faith, hope, and trust,
without you, in the Lord himself, and in his word. And, sirs,
let me tell you, if ever you get a visit of the day-spring from
on high, you must expect it upon another ground than upon
any good that ever was done by you, or wrought in you. O
sirs, I would fain have you brought to a cleanly way of be-
lieving, so as to rest upon Christ alone, as our Catechism well
expresses it. Beware of resting on your prayers, your good
preparation, your examination, your tears your repentance ;

XIV.] THE DAY-SPRING FROM ON HIGH. 435

or yet beware of mingling in any of these with Christ and
his righteousness, as the ground on which you expect a visit
of the day-spring from on high : no, no, these old rags will
not piece in with the white robe of the righteousness of
Christ, they will not cement with the foundation that God
has laid in Zion ; and therefore rest, and trust, and hope in
the Lord alone.

But, say you, O will you tell us, what is it in the Lord, or
about him, that our faith and hope may fasten upon, that he
will pay us a visit? I answer, There is nothing in him or
about him but gives ground of hope and trust. More par-
ticularly,

1. Take a view of his name, and let faith and hope fasten
upon that: Is. I. 10: " Let him that wallceth in darkness, and
sees no light, trust in the name of the Lord, and stay upon his
God." O sirs, every name of his is like ointment poured
forth. Will you but think a little upon that name Immanuel,
God with us, and see if your faith and hope can fasten upon
that for a visit of the day-spring from on high to your souls :
he is not only God-man in our nature, but he is God zvith us ;
that is, he is not in Christ a God against us, but a God for us,
a God with us, a God on our side ; he is on our side to take
part with us against all deadly evil: P.sal. cix. 31: " He stand-
eth at the right hand of the poor, to save him from those that
would condemn his soul." He takes part with the sinner, to
save him from his own wrath, the curse and condemnation of
his own law, to save him from Satan and the world, and
death and hell : he is ever with us a reconciled God, a pity-
ing, pardoning, saving God in Christ. And therefore, say, I
trust, that he who is Immanuel, God with us, will even pay me
a visit from on high. ,

2. Let faith and hope for a visit fasten upon his word of
grace and promise. O, may not the soul say, has he not pro-
mised, " Wherever I cause my name to be remembered, I
will come unto you and bless you. Lo, I am with you, unto
the end of the world." Has he not promised his presence
and countenance to his own ordinances? Has he not promised
to " pour water upon him that is thirsty, and floods upon the
dry ground ?" Has he not said, " I will be as the dew unto
Israel, that his goings forth are prepared as the morning, and
that he will come unto us as the rain ; as the latter and former
rain upon the earth, that the second day he will revive us,
and the third day he will raise us up, and we shall live in
his sight?" O has he said it, and will he not do it? has he
spoken, and shall it not come to pass ? Yea, he will, for
il faithful is he that hath promised."

Object. But the promise is not mine, I have no claim to it.

436 THE DAY-SPRING FROM ON HIGH. [SER.

Answ. The promise is to every one that hears it ; and if you
will but set to the seal of faith that God is true, it is yours in
possession ; and if you believe the promise, you have the thing
promised.

3. Ground your faith for a visit of the day-spring from on
high, upon the visits that he has already made to you. O,
may faith say, did the day-spring from on high rejoice from
eternity " in the habitable parts of the earth, and were his
delights with the sons of men," before ever the foundations
of the world were laid? O has he made such an amazing
stoop, as to be manifested in the flesh ? Is he become my
brother, bone of my bone, and flesh of my flesh ? Has he
showed such good will towards men, as to be made in the
likeness of sinful flesh ? And does he visit me in a gospel-dis-
pensation and word of grace, with the offers of his grace and
love, and eternal life through him ? Does he stand at my door
and knock, saying, " Open unto me, and I will come in ?"
Yet shall I doubt of his love to me ? shall I doubt, whether
he will come and sup with me, and I with him ? Yes, surely,
he will do it; for he that hath done the greater, will also do
the lesser.

4. Let faith fasten upon the suretyship of Christ, or his
substitution in our room and stead. He gave bond, may faith
say, to his Father, for the payment of my debt, and accord-
ingly has paid it to the uttermost farthing ; he has paid my
debt to the precept of the law by his perfect obedience, he
has paid what I owed to the penalty of the law and justice by
his death on the cross ; and so he has blotted out the hand-
writing that was against me: he was made sin for me, that /
might be made the righteousness of God in him ; he was made
a curse, that /might inherit the blessing;" he has made way
for his visit to my soul in a way of love by the complete satis-
faction of justice ; and now his name is " the Lord our right-
eousness." And why then should I doubt but that the day-
spring from on high shall pay me a visit of love?

5. Let faith fasten upon the relation that he bears to us in
all his saving offices. He is " our Lord Jesus Christ ; to us
this son is given, to us this child is born ;" he was not born for
himself, but for us ; and whatever he is as Mediator, that he
is unto us. O he is the Saviour of sinners ; and will not the
sinner's Saviour pay the sinner a visit, who is looking and
longing for a visit from him ? He is a prophet, a teacher of
the will of God; and will not the master pay the scholar a
visit? He is a Priest ordained for men, and a merciful and
faithful high Priest, a high Priest touched with the feeling of
our infirmities ; and may not I then call for a visit from him ?
He is an Advocate for the transgressor ; and will not the Ad-

XIV.] THE DAY-SPRING FROM ON HIGH. 437

vocate visit his client? He is our King; and will not the King
pay a visit to the subject? will he not rule and subdue his
enemies in my heart? He is our Shepherd; and will not the
Shepherd of Israel visit his flock? Yea, he will; for " he car-
ries the lambs in his bosom, and gently leads those that are
with young." He is our Physician that came to heal the dis-
eased, his name is Jehovah Rophi; and will not the Physician
pay a visit to his patient ? Thus, I say, let faith fix on the re-
lation that he bears to us in his person and offices.

6. Let faith and hope for a visit of love fix on the excel-
lency of his loving-kindness manifested in Christ, and display-
ed in the word of grace. O sirs, God is love, love is the reg-
nant attribute of his nature; and his whole design in sending
of his Son, and in a gospel dispensation, is to persuade us of
his love. Now, let faith fix on this, and persuade itself, that
he will come, and will not tarry. See this laid as a ground
of faith and hope, Psal. xxxvi. 6: "How excellent is thy
loving-kindness, O God ! therefore the children of men put
their trust under the shadow of thy wings.

7. Let faith and hope for a visit of the day-spring fix on
the very design of this gospel ordinance and institution, par-
ticularly of a communion table. But this I refer till after-
wards.

DISCOURSE AFTER THE TABLES.

Now, my friends, the day-spring from on high has been
visiting us all in a gospel dispensation, I mean, in the word
and sacrament; his light has been shining upon us: but I
would ask you, by way of trial, Whether has the day dawn-
ed, and the day-star arisen in your hearts? Has the light of
the glory of God, in the face of Jesus Christ, shined into your
hearts? Oh, say you, how shall I know that the day-spring
from on high has visited me by an internal revelation of
himself to my soul ?

I answer, 1. You may know it by the evidence of its own
light. The light of day carries its own evidence with it ; so
the visits that Christ makes to the souls of his people, carry
a self-evidencing light with them, by which the soul knows
that it is he, and not another. His voice has a peculiar air
with it, by which it is known, Cant ii. 8: "The voice of my
beloved!" &,c. " My sheep know my voice," &c. His steps
have a peculiar grace with them, and therefore his steps are

37*

438 THE DAY-SPRING FROM ON HIGH. [sER.

called " steps of majesty ;" there is something divine in his
gait and way with his people. His countenance has a pecu-
liar majesty with it, which the soul knows, and yet cannot
express: Ob, says the soul, when it gets a visit, I cannot de-
scribe him, but this I can tell to my soul's satisfaction, that
" his countenance is like Lebanon," and there is none like
him; he has neither match in heaven nor earth, for he is in-
deed "fairer than the children of men."

2. You may know it by this, that the visit of this day-spring
from on high is very satisfying and sweet ; "Truly the light is
sweet, and a pleasant thing it is for the eyes to behold the
sun." What more sweet and refreshing than the spring of day
to them that watch for the morning ? So here, When Christ
comes, he brings soul-contentment along with him : the man
found nothing but emptiness in his comforts, in ministers, or-
dinances, word, and sacrament ; but whenever the day-spring
visit comes. Oh, says the soul, now, now, this is what I
wanted : " Return unto thy rest, O my soul, for the Lord
hath dealt bountifully with thee." O, says Peter upon mount
Tabor, on the top of a barren mountain, where he had neither
meat nor drink, wife, nor children, " It is good to be here." —
" When I awake," says the Psalmist, " I shall be satisfied with
thy likeness." The soul finds such satisfaction in Christ's visits,
that makes all the stars to disappear: " I count all things but
loss, for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my
Lord."

3. If the day-spring has visited thy soul, thou wilt desire
more and more of this day-spring to break out from on h'gh
upon thee, Oh for more and more, and more of the Lord ! as
when the day-light breaks, we long for more of the light.
So, here, Paul knew " the excellency of the knowledge of
Christ;" but was he surfeited with it? No, though he saw all
things to be but dung and loss in respect of what knowledge
he had of Christ, yet he desires to know more of him, and of
the power of his resurrection, he forgot what was behind : I
do not speak as if I had attained to all the knowledge of Christ
that I desire; no no, "I forget those things which are behind,
and reaching forth to those things which are before, I press
toward the mark, for the prize of the high calling of God in
Christ Jesus." And this is one great thing that makes a be-
liever so willing to die, because he hath seen the Lord, and he
hopes when he is dead to see him as he is, to see him face to
face, which he cannot have here. And therefore you that
are stalled or surfeited with this communion, and think you
have just enough of Christ, it is a sign that the day-spring has
not been visiting you.

4. If the day-spring from on high has visited you, I am sure

XIV.] THE DAY-SPRING FROM ON HIGH. 430

it has made thy heart glad within thee. " Abraham," says
Christ, "saw my day afar off, and was glad." He saw his
day, the day of his incarnation, and (he day of salvation to
be accomplished by him, at a vast distance, and was glad. So
if you have seen the spring of day in thy soul, it has made
thee glad. See for this that pregnant place, Is. xxxv. 1, 2:
" The wilderness and the solitary place shall be glad for them:
and the desert shall rejoice, and blossom as the rose. It shall
blossom abundantly, and rejoice even with joy and singing;
the glory of Lebanon shall be given unto it, the excellency
of Carmel and Sharon: they shall see the glory of the Lord,
and the excellency of our God." And in the following verses
you will see that it is such a joy as gives the weak man
strength, ver. 3, the timorous faint-hearted man courage,
ver. 4, and makes the dumb man to sing, and the lame man
to leap, ver. 5, 6: It is a joy that transcends all worldly joy:
Psal. iv. 7: "Thou hast put gladness in my heart, more than
in the time that their corn and their wine increased."

5. If the day-spring from on high has visited thy soul, it
has left an impression of it on thy soul. I told you of some
of the rays or beams of this day-spring ; there is a ray of wis-
dom, a ray of divine power, holiness, justice, goodness, and
faithfulness. Now, these rays have left a proportionable im-
pression upon thy soul, if the day-spring has been visiting
thee ; for we " are made partakers of the divine nature," and
are " changed into the same image, by beholding his glory ;"
a sight of the glorious beams of this day-spring sinks into the
heart, and leaves a correspondent impression on the soul, of
the communicable attributes of God.

6. If the day-spring from on high has visited thy soul, it
will be known by the effect of it on thy heart and life. I name
these twTo : (1.) A visit of this day-spring will discover much
emptiness in thyself, and sink thee into nothing in thine own
eyes. See this in Is. vi. Job xlii. (2.) The light of this day-
spring will make you holy : " If any man say that he has
seen the light, and yet walk in darkness, he is a liar, and the
truth is not in him ; all his religion is but a fancy. Instead
of seeing the day-spring, thou hast but seen a delusion of thine
own brain. A sight of the day-spring from on high will make
you groan under remaining darkness, enmity, unbelief, &c.
Now, 1 say, try by these things whether you have seen the
day-spring from on high.

I shall conclude by speaking a word to two sorts of per-
sons. 1. To you with whom it is yet midnight. 2. To you
whom the day-spring has visited.

The first sort are tbose with whom it is yet midnight, whom
the day-spring from on high has never visited.

440 THE DAY-SPRING FROM ON HIGH. [SER.

1. Your condition is uncomfortable. How sad was the con-
dition of Egypt when plagued with a darkness that might be
felt ! But thine is worse in the nature, and worse in the con-
tinuance; their darkness lasted but for three days, but thine
will last to the days of eternity, unless infinite mercy prevent.

2. Your condition is dangerous : Prov. iv. 19 : " The way
of the wicked is as darkness." You know not your way : you
are walking on the ridge of eternal destruction.

3. Your condition is full of horror. We read of the " hor-
ror of darkness," Gen. xv. 12. Thou art compassed with ter-
rors on every side ; the terrors of the law, the terrors of con-
science, the terrors of the Almighty, the terrors of eternal
miseries are all round about thee, though perhaps thou art
asleep, and dost not perceive them, &c. But yet 1 would
not leave you in this hopeless condition, but offer you a word
of advice.

1. Be really convinced of your miserable case, and your
own utter inability to relieve yourselves. You can no more
create this divine light than you can make a sun in the firma-
ment to arise at midnight. But, say you, to what purpose do
you tell us of our impotency, for that quite discourages us
from the use of means? Answ. We tell you of your impo-
tency not to discourage you to use the means, but that in the
use of means you may be driven out of yourselves to the Lord
of light, life, and strength.

2. My advice to you is, to come to the light of the day-
spring that has visited you in a gospel dispensation, look to
that, till light spring in upon thy soul. This is the advice of
God himself; 2 Pet. i. 19: " We have a more sure word of
prophecy; whereuntoye do well that ye take heed, as unto a
light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn and
the day-star arise in your hearts" Take heed to it, let all
your thoughts and conceptions of God, and of the things of
God, be moulded in a suitableness to that revelation ; be ever
looking to the Sun shining through the glass of the word, for
it is through this glass that the rays of God's glory are darted
or transmitted into the mind of man. We receive the Spirit
of wisdom and revelation "by the hearing of faith."

3. Look to Christ, and you shall be enlightened and saved,
Psal. xxxiv. 5: Is. xlv. 22. Object. But I am blind. Answ. He
that opens the eyes of the blind, commands you to look ; and
in attempting to obey his command, light and sight come in
to the soul.

The second sort of persons are those on whom the day-spring
from on high has broken up. And these are of two sorts. 1.
Some who have once in a day been visited with the day-

XIV.] THE DAY-SPRING FROM ON HIGH. 441

spring are walking in darkness. 2. Some at present enjoy
the visits of the day-spring.

As to the first. O, may some be saying, I thought the day
did once spring up in my soul, and I saw the light of the
Lord; but, alas! now I " walk in darkness, and can see no
light." " O that it were with me as in months past !" I
thought to have got a visit of the day-spring on this occasion;
but, alas! I am going away as I came ; the darkness of tempta-
tion, affliction, desertion, and despondency, overspread my
soul, and I think I am cast out of his sight. I shall only say
two or three things: —

1. Bless God that ever the day-spring did visit thee. Thou
knowest the difference between light and darkness, between
absence and presence. One visit of this day-spring from on
high secures thy state for ever.

2. When once the Sun of righteousness arises on a soul,
though he may suffer eclipses, yet he will never set again ;
and therefore the Sun is in the firmament, and it is day with
thee, although thou dost not see it, by reason of interposing
clouds. " Ye are not of the night, but of the day."

3. My advice to you is, to " hope in God : for you shall yet
praise him for the light of his countenance." It is his com-
mand, " Let Israel hope in the Lord." See God's command
to you, Is. 1. 10: "Who is among you that feareth the Lord,
that obeyeth the voice of his servant, that walketh in dark-
ness, and hath no light? let him trust in the name of the Lord,
and stay upon his God." And, to encourage you to hope and
trust, see what the Lord says, Is. liv. 7, 8: " For a small mo-
ment have I forsaken thee, but with great mercies will I ga-
ther thee. In a little wrath I hid my face from thee for a
moment; but with everlasting kindness will I have mercy on
thee, saith the Lord, thy Redeemer."

As to the second sort of believers, who have the spring of
day on them, have got a visit of the day-spring. Thy condi-
tion, believer, is safe; for " the Lord will be thy everlasting
light." It is glorious and comfortable: "Light is sown for
the righteous, and gladness for the upright in heart." My
advice to you is,

1. Bless God who has made the day-spring to visit you,
while others are left in darkness. Remember thy former
darkness, and bless the Lord that has delivered thee from it,
translated thee "out of darkness into his marvellous light."

2. Walk in the light of this day that has dawned on thy
soul: Is. ii. 5: "O house of Jacob, come ye, and let us walk
in the light of the Lord." This is Christ's counsel, John xii.
35; Eph. v. 8. Walk in the light of Christ's example, and in
the light of his commandment ; let them be a light to your

442 THE DAY-SPRING FROM ON HIGH. [SER.

feet, and a lamp to your path. And " let your light so shine
before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify
your Father which is in heaven."

3. Beware of every thing that may eclipse the light of the
Sun from thy soul; beware of pride, carnality, worldliness,
unbelief and all untenderness in your walk, otherwise you
may bring yourselves under as great darkness to your own
feeling, as though the sun had never arisen on you.

4. Long for the break of the everlasting day of glory, when
the sun shall never any more suffer an eclipse. The Old Tes-
tament church longed for the break of the New Testament
day ; and we that are under the New Testament day, should
long for the break of the day of glory, saying, "Make haste,
my beloved, and be thou like to a roe, or to a young hart
upon the mountains of spices."

Now, because there are some young persons that have been
at the Lord's table, who never were at it before, therefore I
conclude with a word or two to them.

J. "Keep yourselves from idols." Let nothing usurp God's
room in your heart, &c.

2. Keep and "save yourselves from a present evil world,"
that you be not seduced or entangled with snares, &c.

3. Be on your guard ; for the devil will be on you, he will
seek to sift and winnow you, and to draw you back to his
service, &c.

4. "Put on the whole armour of God," and be often proving
it, " the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, and the sword
of the Spirit," &c.

5. Keep Christ, the Captain of salvation, ever in your
eye, that you may be supplied, strengthened, and enlightened,
&c.

6. Be much on your knees at a throne of grace, " for grace
and mercy to help you in time of need."

7. Lastly, Be much in studying your own emptiness, and
Christ's fulness, and travel continually betwixt these two.

443

SERMON XV.

THE RAINBOW OF THE COVENANT SURROUNDING THE THRONE OF

GRACE.*

And there was a rainbow round about the throne, in sight like unto an eme-
rald.— ItEV. iv. 3.

Not to stand in the entry, we may notice here three things
which John saw in a vision. 1. A throne set in heaven, in the
close of the 2d verse. 2. The glorious Majesty that sat on
the throne, who was like a jasper, and a sardine stone, for bright-
ness. 3. The canopy of the throne, a rainbow round about it,
in colour like unto an emerald. 1 understand the whole of this
to have a respect immediately to the church militant here
upon earth, and the glorious dispensation of the grace of God
under the New Testament economy. And that which in-
clines me to understand it in this view, is, because this vision
is prophetical, and has a respect to things that were to be
done afterward, as you see in the 1st verse, "Come up hither,
and I will show thee things which must be hereafter ;" that
is, things which are to be transacted in the church in the suc-
ceeding ages and generations of the world. And therefore by
the throne here that was set in heaven, I understand the throne
of grace, to which we are invited to "come with boldness, for
grace and mercy to help in time of need," lieb. iv. 16; the
throne which has justice satisfied, and judgment executed
upon the Son of God, for its basis and foundation, Psal. lxxxix.
14; the throne of God, and of the Lamb, from which pro-
ceeds "a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal," Rev.
xxii. 1. And this throne is said to be "set in heaven." Not
as if God's throne of grace were only in heaven properly so
called; for we find the church militant on earth frequently
expressed by heaven in scripture : Heb. xii. 22. She is called
"the Heavenly Jerusalem," to wit, the church, 1 Pet. ii. 9;
the " heavenly nation."1 And therefore by heaven here we
may understand the church of God in general. And it is so
called, to show that the hearts of believers, even while here
upon earth, are in heaven, they are " desiring a better coun-
try, that is, a heavenly;" and when they address a throne

• Being the substance of several Sermons, preached at tbe sacrament, at
Muckhart, June 23, 1728; and enlarged upon at Abemethy, on Saturday and
Sabbath, July 5, and 6,

414 THE RAINBOW OP THE COVENANT [sER.

of grace, they have their eyes upon an exalted Christ, who is
11 set down at the right hand of the Majesty on high," and his
ministry in the heavenly sanctuary. By him that sits on the
throne, I understand Christ, or God in our nature, not ex-
cluding the Father and the Holy Ghost; for it is " the throne
of God, and of the Lamb." Ezek. i. 26. We have the same
description of a throne in a vision, and we are told, that
" above upon the throne was the appearance of a man,"
which can be applied to none other than the man Christ Jesus;
and there is no doubt but it is the same throne, and the same
person sitting on it, that was seen both by Ezekiel, and the
apostle John. As for his posture, he is represented as " sit-
ting upon the throne." This points at the perpetuity of his
government; that he is in quiet possession of it, it being for
ever out of the power of his enemies to disturb his adminis-
tration. We are told here, farther, that his appearance upon
the throne was " like a jasper and a sardine stone." These
stones being unknown to us, we shall not take up time in tell-
ing you what is said about them by naturalists, and some cu-
rious interpreters; only we are told, in short, the jasper is a
bright transparent stone, representing to the eye a variety of
the most vivid or lively colours; the sardine is said to be red.
The scope is plainly this, to point out the admirable and in-
conceivable glory and excellency of an exalted Christ. Such
is the brightness of the Father's glory shining in him, now
when he is upon the throne, that all the precious things on
earth put together are but faint shadows and representations
of his divine glory and excellency. The brightness of the jas-
per, and the redness of the sardine stone, are put together, to
show that he is white and ruddy; white in his divine, ruddy
in his human nature; white in his holiness, red in his suffer-
ing : the bright and glorious perfections of God, shining through
the rent veil of his human nature, do as it were receive a
tincture of red from the veil through which they are trans-
mitted. In Is. lxiii. 1, 2, he is said to be glorious, and yet
"red in his apparel ;" and his appearance in the midst of the
throne, is, as it were, of a Lamb slain, having the sprinkling
of his blood about him, which was shed upon Mount Calvary,
and which cries for " better things than the blood of Abel."

But now I come to that part of John's vision, which I have
principally in view, and that is the canopy of state which co-
vers the throne, and him that sat on it, in the close of the 3d
verse: "And there was a rainbow round about the throne,
in sight like unto an emerald."

Where, again, notice, 1. The covering of the throne; it
was very stately, like a rainbow. 2. The circuit of this co-

XV.] SURROUNDING THE THRONE OF GRACE. 445

vering ; it was round about the throne. 3. The colour of it ; it
was like unto an emerald.

Here I conceive there is a manifest allusion to God's cove-
nant with Noah, Gen. ix. When God called back the wa-
ters of the deluge from off the face of the earth, he made a
promise, and bound himself by covenant, that he would ne-
ver "destroy the earth any more by water;" and, in token
of his faithfulness in this matter, he set his bow in the clouds.
With allusion to this, God's throne of grace, or his mercy-seat,
from which all the promises of the covenant do proceed, is
said to be surrounded with a rainbow : to signify, that as God
deals with his people in the way of a covenant, so his faith-
fulness in that "covenant is established in the very heavens."
And this bow surrounding the throne is said to be in colour
like unto an emerald, that is, of a green colour ; to signify, that
his covenant, by virtue of the faithfulness of him that sits upon
the throne, is ever the same; without any shadow of turning:
"The fashion of this world" withereth and " passe tti away;
but the word of the Lord," his word of grace and promise,
" endureth for ever."

The doctrine I take notice of from the words is this :
Doct. " That God's covenant of grace, and his faithfulness
engaged in it, is like a beautiful rainbow surrounding the
throne of grace, for the encouragement of our faith and trust
in him that sits on it."

In discoursing on this doctrine, I shall, through divine as-
sistance, do these things following: —

I. Offer a few thoughts respecting the covenant of grace
or promise.

II. Concerning the faithfulness of God engaged in this co-
venant.

III. Take a view of this covenant, under the similitude of
a rainbow, in colour like unto an emerald, surrounding the throne
of grace.

IV. Speak a little of that faith or trust which the sight of
this bow of the covenant should beget in us.

V. Apply the whole.

I. The first thing proposed is, to offer a few thoughts respect-
ing the covenant of grace and promise. And,

1. I remark, that the occasion of the covenant of grace,
like that of God's covenant with Noah, was a deluge of wrath,
which broke out upon Adam, and all his family, for the
breach and violation of the covenant of works. This is what
is pointed at, Ezek. xvi. 4 — 8 ; where you see that which

vol. i. 38

446 THE RAINBOW OF THE COVENANT [sER.

gave occasion to God's entering into a covenant of grace, is
that miserable state man had brought himself into by sin :
" When I passed by thee, and saw thee polluted in thine own
blood, behold, thy time was the time of love, and I spread my
skirt over thee, and covered thy nakedness : yea, I sware
unto thee, and entered into a covenant with thee, saith the
Lord God, and thou becamest mine." Here it may readily
be asked, What is that state we are reduced to by the breach
of the first covenant? I answer, in short, it is a state of sin ;
original sin, like a contagion, has overrun all men, and the
whole man " from the crown of the head to the sole of the
foot." It is a state of alienation and estrangement from God ;
we are " alienated from the very life of God, through the ig-
norance that is in us;" like the prodigal, we have gone into
a far country, and care not for returning to our Father's
house. Yea more, it is a state of enmity and hostility against
God : " The carnal mind is enmity against God," we are "ene-
mies in, our minds by wicked works." It is a godless and
hopeless state ; therefore are we said to be " without God, and
without hope in the world." It is a state worse than Egyp-
tian darkness ; we are not simply in the dark, but we are
darkness itself: " Once ye were darkness." It is a state of
impotency and weakness ; " for when we were yet without
strength, in due time Christ died for us." It is a state of bond-
age and captivity to sin, Satan, and the world; we are led
captive by these potent enemies. It is a cursed and con-
demned state ; we are " condemned already, and the wrath of
God abideth on us." It is a state of death ; we are dead spi-
ritually, under the power of sin, and lying upon the very bor-
ders of eternal death. Now, this is the condition we are re-
duced to by the fall; upon which account we may well take
up that melancholy song, " The crown is fallen from our head:
wo unto us that wre have sinned." However, infinite mercy
and love takes occasion from this miserable and ruined state
of man, to enter into a new covenant, even a covenant of
grace, in order to his deliverance.

2. I remark, that the rise and spring of this covenant of
grace was not foreseen faith or good works, or any thing else
in the creature ; but only the free and surprising love of God:
John iii. 16: "God so loved the world, that he gave his only
begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him, should not pe-
rish, but have everlasting life." Jer. xxxi. 3: "I have loved
thee with an everlasting love: therefore with loving-kindness
have I drawn thee." This love of God to lost sinners was
altogether, and absolutely free ; free in opposition to merit,
free in opposition to constraint ; it has no other cause but
only the freedom of his own will, Eph. i. 4, 5. And as it is

XV.] SURROUNDING THE THRONE OF GRACE. 447

free, so it is superlatively great ; love that passeth knowledge;
love which hath a height and depth, a breadth and length,
which can never be fathomed, or found out. It is distinguish-
ing love ; it lighted upon men, when it passed by angels that
fell ; it lighted upon some of Adam's family, when it passed
by others.

3. I remark that this covenant of grace, in the original
make and constitution of it, was transacted with Christ as a
new-covenant head, a public person, representing all the spi-
ritual seed which the Lord had given him ; for, sirs, you are
aware, that since the fall of man, God never entered into
any covenant with him directly and immediately, but only by
the intervention of a Surety and Mediator. Hence, in our
Larger Catechism, in answer to that question, ' With whom
was the covenant of grace made?' the answer is, that, 'it
was made with Christ, and with the elect in him, as his seed.'
Hence it is that we read of " grace given us in Christ, before
the world began." In this covenant there are some things that
relate particularly to Christ himself as Surety and Redeemer,
and some things in it that relate to the members and seed of
Christ. The Father having promised sufficient furniture and
through-bearing to his Son, both for .the purpose and ap-
plication of our redemption ; the Son, not only undertakes to
satisfy justice, to fulfil the law, to bruise the head of the old
serpent, but also by his Spirit, which he would send into their
hearts, to sprinkle them with clean water, to " take away the
stony heart," to enlighten them, to justify them, to adopt and
sanctify them, and at last to present them " without spot or
wrinkle, or any such thing." And when all this comes to be
revealed and set forth in a gospel dispensation, what is in-
cumbent upon us, but to subscribe to this glorious transaction
and plan of redemption, that was laid by Infinite Wisdom ?
Thus, I say, the covenant of grace was originally transacted
with Christ, and with us in him, and through him. And they
who, either in print or pulpit ridicule or exclaim against this,
as a new scheme of doctrine, do not ridicule us, but the
doctrine asserted by the church of Scotland in her standards ;
which, as it is founded upon the word of God, so we are
bound by solemn covenant to cleave to it.

4. I remark, that the revelation of this covenant of grace,
transacted with " Christ, before the world began," was made
very early to our first parents in Paradise, immediately after
the fall: Gen. iii. 15: " The seed of the woman shall bruise
the head of the serpent." Here it was that the grand secret,
which lay in the breast of God, did first break forth, WThen
our first parents were waiting, with a trembling heart, every
moment for the execution of the sentence of the broken cove-

448 THE RAINBOW OF THE COVENANT [SER.

nant of works ; behold, glad tidings of great joy are issued
out from a throne of grace ; namely, that in the fulness of
time, the Son of God was to take on the seed of the woman,
and bruise the serpent's head, to destroy the devil and his
works, and redeem man from that gulf of misery into which
he was plunged. This was the covenant of grace. And it
is remarkable, that in its first edition, it came forth in a pro-
mise of Christ ; this was enlarged and explained to Abraham,
Moses, David, and yet more fully opened after the Babylonish
captivity, by Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and other prophets, till Christ
himself actually came, in whom all the Old Testament types,
prophecies, and promises, received their full accomplishment.
And having by his death " confirmed the covenant with ma-
ny," the covenant of grace, after his resurrection and exalta-
tion, came forth in its last and best edition ; namely, in the
form of a " testament," having the two great sacraments of
baptism and the Lord's supper appended to it, as full and in-
contestable evidences of its being confirmed by his death.
This glorious charter has now passed the seal, and therefore
faith may make use of it with boldness.

5. I remark, that this covenant of grace, or testament of
our Lord Jesus Christ, may be viewed and considered in its
dispensation or exhibition. God, in his infinite wisdom, for
reaching the great end and design of a covenant of grace,
has appointed ordinances, the word, sacraments, and prayer,
and other proper means, by which the benefits of his death,
and blessings of his covenant, may come to be actually ap-
plied to us; he has authorized ministers to dispense the word
and sacraments, that by these, as through conduit pipes, his
grace and fulness may be communicated to us. And here it
should be remembered, that the covenant of grace, in the
dispensation and exhibition of it, comes to every man's door;
it is presented as the ground and foundation of faith in com-
mon to all the hearers of the gospel, elect and reprobate.
We call all and every one to take hold of God's covenant,
and tell them, " To you is the word of this salvation sent ;
The promise," or covenant, "is unto you, and to your children,
and to all that are afar oft", even as many as the Lord our
God shall call."

6. I remark, that this covenant of grace may be consi-
dered in the application and execution of it. And this is either
initiatory, progressive, or consummate. (1.) I say, there is
the initiatory application, or the soul's first entry into the
bond of the covenant ; or rather, the Spirit of the great new
covenant Head taking hold of the poor soul, and the soul at
the same moment taking hold of the covenant by faith, re-
ceives it as a good and sufficient security for that life and

XV'.] SURROUNDING THE THRONE OF GRACE. 449

happiness, which was lost by the sin of the first Adam. This
is in scripture called " the day of espousals," in which the
soul does as it were, sign and subscribe the marriage-con-
tract, saying, " I am the Lord's." (2.) There is the farther
improvement of this covenant of grace, for the soul's daily
supply in a way of believing, by which it is made to " grow-
in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ."
This is called a " drawing water with joy out of the wells
of salvation." The believer finding himself under this and
the other want, improves the promises of the covenant, as
they are suited and adapted to his case. And thus the work
of sanctification is daily advanced: "they shall go from
strength to strength." (3.) There is the full execution of
the designs of this covenant, when the soul is brought to
glory, and " presented faultless before the presence of God,
without spot or wrinkle, or any such thing." When Christ,
who is our life, shall appear, then shall we also appear with
him in glory." At that day, the covenant, and all the con-
cerns of it, are fully executed and pei'formed, even the day of
Jesus Christ : Phil. i. (5 : " Being confident of this very thing,
that he which hath begun a good work in you, will perform
it until the day of Jesus Christ." So much for the first thing
proposed, which was, to give you some views of the cove-
nant of grace.

II. The second thing was, to speak a little of the faithfulness
of God engaged in the covenant, which is here resembled to the
rai?ibow about the throne, in colour like tinto an emerald. For
the illustration of this head, I shall, 1. Inquire what the faith-
fulness of God implies. 2. How far this faithfulness is en-
gaged in the covenant.

For the first, I shall clear it in the following particulars : —

1. God's covenant of grace or promise is no hasty or inde-
liberate deed, but the result of his eternal purpose and counsel.
Men many times speak before they think ; and when they
have passed their word, they would be content to eat it in
again, because they speak frequently before they consider
matters duly. But no such thing is incident to God ; his
promise is nothing else than a revelation of his counsel and
purpose of grace before the world began ; and therefore every
word he speaks is sure and stable, like mountains of brass,
which cannot be shaken.

2. God thinks as he speaks in his covenant and promise. I
remember it is given as the character of a true citizen of
Zion, that " he speaks the truth in his heart," Psal. xv. 2; that
is, his words and his thoughts agree together ; the one is the
exact transcript or copy of the other. And if this be the
character of the citizens of Zion, much more is it so of Zion's

38*

450 THE RAINBOW OF THE COVENANT [SER.

God and King, who " desires truth in the inward parts." He
does not say one thing, and think another; he hates all disin-
genuousness in others, and therefore cannot be guilty of it
himself: his words are so much the picture of his heart, that
we may lawfully and warrantably look into his heart in and
by the words of his mouth.

3. God cannot forget his covenant and promise. Men will
many times make promises, and forget them as soon as
they are made; but it cannot be so with God, " he is ever
mindful of his covenant," his mercy and truth is ever before
his face. And therefore it is an unjust reflection on a God
of truth, to say or think that he has " forgotten to be gra-
cious." A woman may sooner forget her sucking child, than
God can forget his children, or his promise made to them.
He remembers every good word or thought of ours, and
has a book of remembrance for them ; surely then he will
not, he cannot, forget his own word of promise. It is true,
(Is. xliii. 26,) we are commanded to " put him in remem-
brance ;" and, accordingly David, (Psal. cxix. 49,) says to
God, " Remember the word unto thy servant, upon which
thou hast caused me to hope." But this is not to be under-
stood, as if God needed to have his memory helped by us ;
but only to excite us to our duty, to quicken us to faith and
fervency in prayer, according to the direction, Ezek. xxxvi.
37: " For these things I will be inquired of by the house of
Israel, that I may do it for them."

4. God cannot change his mind. Our unbelieving hearts
are ready sometimes to suggest, that when God made the
promise, he might have thoughts of grace and love in his
heart, but perhaps now he has altered his way of thinking;
his thoughts have taken another turn. But this cannot be, for
" he is of one mind, and who can turn him ?" there is " no
variableness," or so much as a "shadow of turning" with
him; he is " the same yesterday, to-day, and for ever." Psal.
cii. 25 — 27 : " Of old hast thou laid the foundation of the
earth : and the heavens are the work of thy hands. They
shall perish, but thou shalt endure : yea, all of them shall
wax old like a garment ; as a vesture shalt thou change them,
and they shall be changed. But thou art the same, and thy
years shall have no end." Whatever changes there may be
in his carriage towards us, yet there can be no change in his
heart ; consequently, no change or alteration in his covenant.

5. As God never changes his mind, so he never breaks his
word ; he always performs what he promises. Many a time
the believer has found him better than his word, but never
worse than his word. This is what Joshua observed in his
last speech to Israel, Jos. xxiii. 14: " And ye know in all your

XV.] SURROUNDING THE THRONE OF GRACE. 451

hearts, and in all your souls, that not one thing hath failed of
all the good things which the Lord your God spake con-
cerning you ; all are come to pass unto you, and not one thing-
hath failed thereof." As if he had said, I appeal to your con-
science if he has not been a faithful God in performing his
promise to you. Thus you see wherein the faithfulness of
God consists.

For the second, to wit, how far the faithfulness of God is en-
gaged in the covenant of grace? I answer, it is so far engaged,
that he has given all the security that it is possible for God to
give. For,

1. His covenant is subscribed, and that with his own blood.
God, as it were, dips his pen in the heart-blood of his own
Son, and therewith subscribes the covenant. Hence the blood
of Christ is called " the blood of the testament, — This is the
New Testament in my blood."

2. The covenant of grace is not only subscribed, but at-
tested by a glorious Trinity, in the capacity of three witnesses:
1 John v. 7 : " There are three that bear record in heaven,
the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost; and these three
are one."

3. It is a sealed bargain, sealed with the oath of God, in
which he has pawned his very life for the performance of it.
He gave his oath to the covenant Head ; Psal. lxxxix. 35 :
" Once have I sworn by my holiness, that I will not lie unto
David." He gives his oath to the seed of Christ ; Heb. vi. 17:
" God, willing more abundantly to show unto the heirs of pro-
mise the immutability of his counsel, confirmed it by an oath."
It is sealed with the death of the Testator, Heb. ix. 16 — 18.
It is sealed with the sacraments of baptism and the supper,
which are like the delivering of earth and stone upon an en-
feoffment. And the moment that a sinner takes hold of it,
he seals it upon the heart by his Holy Spirit; Eph. i. 13:
" In whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with
that Holy Spirit of promise which is the earnest of our inhe-
ritance."

4. This covenant or testament has the faithfulness of God
so far engaged in it, that for farther security, it is registered
in heaven among the antiquities of the land afar off, Psal.
cxix. 89: " For ever, O Lord, thy word is settled in heaven ;"
registered upon earth, " in the volume of his book," which is
a " more sure word of prophecy," than an immediate voice
from heaven ; and therefore " we do well to take heed to it,
as to a light shining in a dark place." This much for the
second thing proposed.

III. The third thing in the method was, to take a view of
this covenant of grace, and the faithfulness of God engaged i?i it,

452 THE RAINBOW OF THE COVENANT [SER,

under the similitude and representation of a rainbow surrounding
the throne, in colour like unto an emerald. And here I shall
endeavour to do these three things. 1. View the covenant
under the similitude of a rainbow. 2. Inquire why this bow
is said to be round about the throne. 3. Why it is said to be
in colour like unto an emerald.

First, I say, I would view the covenant of grace under this
metaphor of the rainbow in the text.

1. Then, the rainbow was of God's setting: "I have set
my bow in the clouds." So the covenant of grace is of God's
making: " I have made a covenant with my chosen. — Hear,
and your souls shall live, and I will make an everlasting cove-
nant with you, even the sure mercies of David. — I will make
an everlasting covenant with them, that I will never turn
away from them to do them good." Beware of thinking that
the covenant is of your making. It is, indeed, your duty to
take hold of God's covenant, and to come under engagements,
through the grace thereof, to observe all the duties command-
ed in the law : but do not think that your engaging, or pro-
mising and covenanting, can make or constitute the covenant
of grace : no, it is God that both makes the covenant, and
leads our heart and hand in taking hold of it, and in engaging
to these duties of obedience, which are consequent to our be-r
ing in covenant with the Lord: Heb. viii. 10: "This is the
covenant that I will make with the house of Israel, after those
days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their mind, and
write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and
they shall be to me a people." The covenant of grace is as
much of God's making, as the forming of the bow in the
clouds, which cannot be done by the hands of men.

2. The bow was set in the clouds upon God's smelling a sweet
savour in Noah's sacrifice; as you will see in the close of the
eighth and ninth chapters of the book of Genesis. So here,
upon Christ, our blessed Noah, engaging to make himself a
sacrifice to justice in our room and stead, and God smelling a
sweet savour in his death and satisfaction, God sets his bow
of the covenant in his church. O sirs, if it had not been for
the satisfaction which our Surety offered, this bow of the co-
venant had never appeared in our heavens.

3. God's bow in the clouds is a security against the waters
of the deluge, that they shall never return any more to de-
stroy the earth : and, indeed, the bow in the heaven is a
greater security against it, than the sands and rocks with
which it is surrounded. So the covenant of grace, founded
upon, and sealed with the blood of the Lamb, is a glorious
security against the devouring deluge of divine wrath, that it
shall never return to destroy any soul that by faith flees to

XV.] SURROUNDING THE THRONE OF GRACE. 453

Christ, and takes shelter under the covert of his blood and
righteousness. Whenever a man sees the rainbow, it yields
him peace and safety against the fears of another deluge,
though ever such hurricanes or tempests were blowing out
of the heavens : though the sea were roaring, and its waves
swelling, as though it would swallow up the dry land ; yet
the sight of God's bow in the clouds puts us out of fear of a
universal deluge. So, here, whenever a poor soul by faith
takes a view of the bow of the covenant surrounding God's
throne of grace, it yields him peace ; he is made to see, that
whatever be God's dispensations, whatever be the appear-
ance of his providences; yet the deluge of his vindictive
wrath having spent itself upon the Surely, justice itself be-
comes the sinner's security, by virtue of the covenant of grace:
Is. liv. 9 : " For this is as the waters of Noah unto me : for as
I have sworn that the waters of Noah should no more go over
the earth ; so have I sworn that I would not be wroth with
thee, nor rebuke thee."

4. The rainbow (as naturalists think) is just a reflection of
the beams of the sun; and it is the sun that gives being to the
rainbow: take away the sun out of the firmament, there
would be no rainbow in the clouds. So, here, it is Christ, the
Sim of righteousness, that gives being to the covenant of grace ;
he is the very life and substance of it : "I will give thee for
a covenant of the people." What are all the promises of the
covenant, but the rays of grace and love flowing out from
Christ, " the brightness of the Father's glory V All the pro-
mises are " in him," and in him they are " yea and amen." —
Take away Christ, and the promise is not, the covenant is
not.

5. Although the arch of the bow is high above us, reach-
ing to the heaven ; yet the extremes of it stoop down to the
earth, and come near to every man; yea, one would think,
wherever he is, or whatever place of the world he is in, still
the end of the rainbow is pointing towards him. Just so it is
with the covenant of grace; although the great covenant-
head be in heaven, yet the covenant itself stoops down to men
upon earth, Rom. x. 6 — 8: "Say not in thine heart, Who
shall ascend into heaven? (that is, to bring Christ down from
above,) or, Who shall descend into the deep"? (that is, to bring
up Christ again from the dead ;) but whatsaith it? The word
is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart : that is, the
word of faith, which we preach." By the " righteousness of
faith," spoken of in the sixth verse, some of our best interpre-
ters do understand the covenant of grace ; which is so called,
because therein God brings near his righteousness to us ; yea,
the covenant of grace in the dispensation of it, like the bow

454 THE RAINBOW OF THE COVENANT [SER.

in the clouds, points to every man, saying, "To you is the
word of this salvation sent." The covenant is indefinite, no
man's name is mentioned, no man's name excluded ; but, as it
were, a blank left for every man to put in his own name by
an applicatory faith.

6. God's bow in the clouds is very extensive, reaching from
the one end of heaven to the other : s\) God's covenant of grace
is a large and wide covenant. Though all Adam's posterity
were gathered together, there would be room for them, with-
in the arches of the rainbow. God's covenant of grace is a
large and wide covenant ; there is room in it for you, room
for me, and room for all mankind. God's voice is to every
one to take hold of it, for every one to come within the cir-
cuit of it : " Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the wa-
ters, and he that hath no money let him come." You that
have spent " your money for that which is not bread, and
your labour for that which profiteth not," you are called to
take hold of it, Is. lv. 1, 2.

7. As the rainbow is asecurity against a universal deluge, so
it is a prognostic of a refreshing shower of rain to the thirsty
earth. So this bow of the covenant that is surrounding the
throne of grace, as it secures against vindictive wrath, so it
prognosticates, yea gives the greatest assurance of the rain
of the Spirit's influences. It is an article of the covenant, "I
will be as the dew unto Israel: and he shall grow as the lily,
and cast forth his roots as Lebanon: I will come unto them
as the rain ; as the latter and former rain unto the earth." As
it seldom or never fails, that a man looks upon the rainbow, but
a shower shortly follows it: so it never fails, when a man looks
by faith to the bow of the covenant, and the faithfulness of
God in it, but some refreshing rain of the dew of heaven falls
on his soul: £ph. i. 13: "After that ye believed, ye were
sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise." John xi. 40 : " Said
I not unto thee, that if thou wouldst believe, thou shouldst see
the glory of God?"

8. The visible and sensible appearance of the rainbow is
but of a short continuance; for ordinarily it appears for a little
and then vanishes. So the sensible and lively views that the
believer gets of the covenant of grace, in its beauty, order,
freedom, fulness, and stability, are ordinarily but of a short
continuance: It is " a rare hour, and a short stay," said one
of the ancients.

9. Although the rainbow disappear, and that for a long
while together, yet we do not conclude upon that account
that God's covenant with us is broken, or that the waters will
return again to destroy the earth: no, the remembrance of
the rainbow set in the clouds, though a man has not seen it

XV.] SURROUNDING THE THRONE OF GRACE. 455

but once in his life ; I say, the very remembrance of the bow
makes us easy, and persuades us that the deluge shall not re-
turn again. So here, whenever God discovers this bow of
the covenant surrounding the throne of grace, when he has
determined thy soul to " take hold of" it, although thou dost
not see it in such a sensible manner now as thou hast seen it
formerly, yet the very remembrance of this covenant may
make thy soul easy against the fears of wrath, because the
veracity and faithfulness of God in the covenant is the same
without any variableness, however matters may be with thee,
as to thy present sense and feeling. Thus, you see in what
respects God's covenant is resembled to the bow which he
has set in the clouds.

For the second question, why this bow is said to be round
about the throne?

I answer, 1. This signifies the glorious majesty of a God
of grace in Christ ; for, as I told you, it is represented as a
canopy of state covering the throne, which is a badge of ma-
jesty. O sirs, honour and majesty are before the face of a
God in Christ, his throne of grace is encircled with the glory
of grace, grace lies scattered about the throne on every hand :
and this shows his glorious greatness.

2. The rainbow being set round about the throne of grace,
may perhaps signify this ; that there is access to the throne
of grace on every hand, or from every quarter. Whatever-
part of the covenant you look to, whatever article, what-
ever promise you cast your eye upon, you will still find it
leading you directly to a throne of grace for grace to help
you : Ezek. xxxvi. 37 : " For these things," to wit, for the
blessings promised, "I will be inquired of" at a throne of
grace " by the house of Israel, that I may do it for them."

3.* The throne of grace is said to be surrounded with the
rainbow, to show the stability of every promise, or of every
act of grace, that is issued out from a throne of grace. Every
part of the covenant is sure ; every promise of it is more
firm than the pillars of heaven ; the faithfulness of God is in
every promise, and therefore one jot or tittle of it cannot fall
to the ground.

4. It is said to go about the throne, to show the connexion
that there is among all the parts of the covenant. As every
part of a circle leads to another part of it ; so the covenant
of grace connects one blessing with another, one blessing
draws another after it ; effectual calling brings justification,
justification brings adoption, sanctification, perseverance, and
increase of grace, and grace brings glory with it hereafter.
As when you take hold of the least link of a chain, you brino-
the whole chain with you ; so, here, if you have one blessing,

456 THE RAINBOW OF THE COVENANT [SER.

you have all ; if you receive Christ, you have all in him, he
brings all along with him.

5. The rainbow about the throne may signify, that there is
no access to a throne of grace, no ground for faith to stand
upon, in its approaches to the throne, but only by virtue of
the covenant, and the faithfulness of God engaged in it. It
is folly for people to think of coming to a throne of grace, for
grace and mercy, while they overlook and neglect God's co-
venant, and his veracity pledged in it.

A third question was, Why this bow of the covenant is
said to be in colour like unto an emerald? I shall not stay on
this : only, in one word, I think that it points at the per-
petuity of the covenant ; it is ever the same, like an ever-
green, it never withers or decays. O sirs, this world is with-
ering, it is icaxing old as a garment, the fashion of it is passing
away; you yourselves are withering ; your beauty, strength,
stature, and other excellencies, are fading like a moth ; your
frame, perhaps, will wither in a little, however agreeable it
may be. Though you were upon mount Tabor, beholding
Christ in his glory, yet that will not last ; in a little your
prosperous state, and your mountain that seems to stand firm,
may be shaken through the hidings of the Lord's countenance.
But here is what may be relief under all ; God's covenant is
in colour like unto an emerald, continually green, without any
decay. I think it very remarkable, that when God is sending
Moses to the children of Israel, in order to bring them out
of the land of Egypt, he puts him in mind of the covenant
that God made with Abraham, in which he said, that he
would bring them out of Egypt. Well, what way does God
take to confirm the faith of Moses, and of the children of
Israel, respecting his faithfulness ? he bids him tell the chil-
dren of Israel, " I AM hath sent me unto you." As if he
had said, Do not think that I have forgotten my covenant and
promise to Abraham : no, " I am that I am ;" I am the same
this day as I was four hundred years ago, when I spoke to
Abraham upon this head, and my promise is as fresh with
me, as it was that day I made it. The apostle says, Heb. x.
33, " Faithful is he who hath promised." So it reads in our
translation ; but in the original Greek the words may be read,
" Faithful is he who is promising." We are not to look upon
God's covenant and promise as a thing that is past, and out
of date : no, he is a promising God to us, as much as when
the promise first passed out of his blessed lips : it is an ever-
green, it is in colour like unto an emerald ; he is ever mindful
of his covenant ; and as justice and judgment are the habita-
tion of his throne, so his mercy, wrapped up in the word of

XV.] SURROUNDING THE THRONE OF GRACE. 457

truth, is still going before his face. This much foi' the third
thing in the method.

IV. The fourth thing in the method was, to inquire a Utile
into the faith arid trust, which the consideration of all this should
beget in us. And for clearing of it, I shall go no farther than
the representation made in the text. What do you think
when the rainbow appears in the heavens ; the same you are
to do with relation to the bow in the covenant, and the faith-
fulness of God engaged in it.

1. When the bow appears in the heaven, you behold it,
you look upon it with your eyes, for it is a beautiful appear-
ance ; you consider and inquire for what end there is such
an appearance in the heavens. Now, the same you are to
do with God's covenant of grace, the bow, that he has set
in the heaven of his church, about his throne of grace which
he has reared up. It is absolutely impossible that ever you
can reap any benefit by God's covenant, unless you behold
it, consider it, and study to know and understand it ; there
must be an uptaking of the secrets of the covenant. And
this is the first thing that ever God does, when he is to bring
the soul within the bond of his covenant, he enlightens the
mind with the knowledge of Christ, the great covenant Head ;
he makes the man to think upon and consider the fulness,
freedom, the comely order and stability of the covenant, as
a covenant of grace and peace, having all our salvation
wrapped up in it.

2. When a man sees the rainbow in the heaven, and knows
that it is a token of God's covenant with mankind, that "the
waters shall not return to destroy the earth," he assents to the
truth of the covenant, or promise of God ; he believes that it
is true, that God made such a promise ; and that God who
promised such a thing, will not break his word, but that he
will make it good. So, here, when you see the bow of the
covenant of grace, and the veracity of God pawned therein;
when you see it sealed with the oath of God, and the blood
of his eternal Son, your duty is to assent to the truth of God
pledged in the covenant, because he has " righteousness for
the girdle of his loins, and faithfulness for the girdle of his
reins." O, will the soul say, I see every promise of God to
be true, it is impossible for him to lie ; and therefore I set to
my seal that he is true.

3. When a man sees the bow in the cloud, he concludes
that he himself in particular is safe from the waters of the
sea, that they shall not overflow him ; he rests upon the ve-
racity of the Promiser ; and so makes himself easy against
the fears of a second deluge. So here, when we see God's
covenant like a bow surrounding his throne, we should rest

vol. i. 39

458 THE RAINBOW OF THE COVENANT [sEK,

with assured confidence upon it as a good security against
wrath, a good security for our everlasting happiness, for peace,
pardon, grace, and glory. The covenant is God's charter
for eternal life, and the soul accordingly takes it, and says,
" This is all my salvation," that " he hath made with me" in
Christ " an everlasting covenant," and "in this will I be con-
fident." Indeed, if God can break his covenant, I am un-
done, I will sink in the mighty waters of his wrath : but God's
covenant cannot be broken; it stands fast for ever ; "the
mountains shall depart, and the hills be removed, but the co-
venant of his peace shall never be removed :" and therefore
I am sure, God will not betray me, his covenant will not de-
ceive me. And all this is just what is called a "taking hold
of God's covenant," Is. lvi. 4.

V. The jxflh thing proposed, is the use of this doctrine. All
the use I will make of it at this time, is in these (ew infer-
ences. Is it so that God's covenant of grace, and his faith-
fulness engaged in it, is like a rainbow surrounding the throne,
for our encouragement to trust him 1 then,

1. See hence the amazing glory and beauty of the throne
of grace to which we are invited and called to come. Every
thing in and about this throne has glory, beauty, and majesty
in it. He that sits on it is like the sardine and jasper stove;
they that behold him, or who are about the throne, are so
dazzled with his glory, that they cry day and night, " Holy
holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to
come," Rev. iv. 8 : they worship him, and cast their crowns
down before his throne, saying, " Thou art worthy, O Lord,
to receive glory, and honour, and power : for thou hast cre-
ated all things, and for thy pleasure they are, and were cre-
ated." O how majestic is the appearance of a God in Christ !
how majestic is his throne, high and lifted up ! how majestic
is his retinue, filling the wide temple of heaven and earth!

2. See hence the ground that the assurance of faith goes
upon in drawing near to a throne of grace : why, it goes
upon the ground of the divine veracity pledged in a cove-
nant of grace ; it sees this bow about the throne, and this
gives the man courage and confidence. Abraham's faith
builded its assurance here ; Rom. iv. 20,21 : " He staggered
not at the promise of God through unbelief; being fully per-
suaded, that what he had promised, he was able also to per-
form." If you were putting up that petition, sirs, to God,
that he would hem in the waters of the ocean, and bind up
the fountains of the great deep, that the waters might not re-
turn to overflow the earth ; I am persuaded that you would
ask it with full assurance of faith, not doubting his veracity
respecting your being heard in that petition ; why, because

XV.] SURROUNDING THE THRONE OF GRACE. 459

God has promised that " the waters shall no more return to
destroy the earth ;" and he has set his bow in the cloud as a
token of his veracity in that matter. Well, I am sure you
have as firm a ground to build your faith upon, when you
draw near to a throne of grace, to ask of him things agree-
able to his will, things promised in the covenant of grace,
peace, pardon, and salvation, through a Redeemef ; you have
the veracity of the same God pledged ; not only his veracity,
but his power, his holiness, and other perfections. Yea,
God's covenant of grace that is made with us in Christ, is
more firm than God's covenant with Noah ; for, as you have
heard, this covenant of grace is attested by the three that
bear record in heaven," it is sealed with the oath and blood
of God, and registered " in the volume of his book." And,
therefore, whenever you go to a throne of grace for any mer-
cy, keep your eye upon the bow of the covenant, and the faith-
fulness of God pledged in it, that so you may hope, and trust,
and believe without staggering.

3. See hence the "way how to be supported and relieved
under all pressures of trouble of whatever kind, whether from
without or from within. My friends, you have been at a com-
munion table, and I hope you have been upon the mount with
God, feeding upon "fat things full of marrow;" now we are
about to part, we are going out again to the wide world, and
God knows what deep seas, what tempestuous waves and
storms from earth and hell may be abiding us. Well, what*
ever may befall you, I give you this advice, to keep your eyes
always upon the rainbow of the covenant about the throne,
of which you have been getting a sensible seal in the sacra-
ment of the Lord's Supper; especially in the cases following,
and you shall find wonderful relief and support, as David did
to his experience, Psal. xxvii. 13: "I had fainted, unless 1
had believed to see the goodness of the Lord in the land of
the living."

1st, Perhaps, then, poor believer, a storm of vindictive wrath
in appearance may blow from heaven, which will startle thy
conscience to that degree, that thou shalt be made to cry,
through a sense of guilt, and the impressions of God's anger
on thy soul, "The arrows of the Almighty are within me,
the poison whereof drinketh up my spirit : the terrors of God
do set themselves in array against me." Well, if that hap-
pen to be thy case, as I know not but it may, look to the rain-
bow of the covenant about the throne, and there you shall
see the faithfulness of God engaged, that vindictive wrath
shall never touch thee. Read for this, Isaiah liv. 7 — 10,
There you see the oath of God is passed, that the deluge of
vindictive anger shall no more return to destroy thee; and

460 THE RAINBOW OF THE COVENANT [sER.

what more wouldst thou have? will unbelief dare to charge
God with perjury?

2dly, Perhaps, believer, a storm of trouble from the world
may blow upon thee, times of public calamity maycome,
days of persecution for righteousness' sake; or, if that fail, a
storm of personal trial may be abiding thee, trouble in thy
name, in thy estate, in thy family or relations ; the storm may
blow so hard as to sweep away all that is dear to thee in a
world. Well, say you, what shall I do in that case? Why,
my advice to you is, to cast the eye of faith upon the bow of
the covenant, and there thou shalt find what will cheer and
keep up thy heart; there thou shalt find thy covenanted God
in Christ promiseth his sympathy in all thy troubles : Is. Ixiii.
9: "In all their affliction he is afflicted." Psal. ciii. 13:
" Like as a father pitieth his children ; so the Lord pitieth
them that fear him." There you shall find him engaged to
go through the fire and water with thee : Is. xliii. 2 : " When
thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and
through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee : when thou
walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burnt ; neither
shall the flame kindle upon thee." There you will find him
engaging himself by covenant to carry thy head above : Is.
xli. 10 : " Fear thou not, for I am with thee : — I will help
thee, yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my right-
eouness." There thou shalt find him engaged to bring thee
safely through all thy troubles: "Many are the afflictions of
the righteous; but the Lord delivereth him out of them all."
Thou shalt find that thy light afflictions, which are but for a
moment, shall work for thee a far more exceeding and eter-
nal weight of glory."

Sdly, Perhaps a storm from hell may be abiding thee, "prin-
cipalities and powers, and the rulers of the darkness of this
world ;" the armed legions of the bottomless pit, like the
" bulls of Bashan," may ere long be goring at thee. Well,
in this case look to the throne of grace, and to the bow of
the covenant that surrounds it, and thou shalt find what may,
and will relieve thee; you will find that Christ has, accord-
ing to the first article of the covenant, " bruised the head of
that serpent, spoiled principalities and powers, triumphed over
them, and made a show of them openly on his cross;" he
" has destroyed death, and him that had the power of death."
There thou wilt find him engaged to stand by thee as thy
leader and commander, to make thee " tread Satan under
thy feet shortly !" and by faith acted upon this covenant, thou
art assured of the victory, yea, that thou art a conqueror,
and " more than a conqueror, through him that loved thee."
\lhly, Perhaps, believer, thou may in a little time find the

XV.] SURROUNDING THE THRONE OF GRACE. 461

strong man of indwelling sin, like Samson after his locks were
cut, recover strength, and begin to rage in thy soul, insomuch
that thou shalt be made to cry with the apostle, " Oh, wretch-
ed man that I am, who shall deliver me from the body of this
death !" Well, in that case look to the throne of grace, and
the bow of the covenant, and thou shalt find God engaging
himself to give grace and mercy, to help thee in this time of
need: Rom. vi. 14: he has said "Sin shall not have dominion
over you." Micah vii. 19: "I will subdue their iniquities."
EzcL xxxvi. 25: "From all their tilthiness, and from all their
idols will I cleanse them." Is. lix. 19: "When the enemy
cometh in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord shall lift up a
standard against him."

bthly, Perhaps in a little time Satan and corruption togeth-
er may give thee a trip, and lay thee on thy back, and as it
were tread thee in the mire, so that thy "own clothes shall
abhor thee ;" and what shall be done in that case 1 Well, even
in that wise look up to the throne, and behold the "exalted
Prince that gives repentance and remission of sin," that he
may lift thee up again, and " by the blood of his covenant,
bring thee out of the pit, wherein there is no water." Take
a view of the bow of the covenant, and thou wilt find written
upon the arch of this bow, that " though thou hast lien among
the pots, he will make thee as the wings of a dove covered
with silver, and her feathers with yellow gold." Listen to
his voice that sits upon the throne, and thou wilt hear him
saying, " Though thou hast played the harlot with many
lovers, yet return again to me, saith the Lord."

Gthly, Perhaps a black and melancholy night of desertion
may overtake thee in thy way; God may hide, and thou be
brought to cry with the church, "The Lord hath forsaken
me, and my Lord hath forgotten me." Well, though thou
" walk in darkness, and see no light, yet trust in the name of
the Lord, and stay thyself upon him" by virtue of the cove-
nant, as thy God ; for here he is engaged, that he will be " thy
God for ever," that he will " never leave thee nor forsake
thee," a* to his real presence; and that "though weeping
may endure for a night, yet joy cometh in the morning. — For
a small moment have I forsaken thee, but with great mercies
will I gather thee. In a little wrath I hid my face from thee,
for a moment; but with everlasting kindness will I have mercy
on thee, saith the Lord thy Redeemer."

llhly, Perhaps you may fall under the melancholy fears
and apprehensions, that thou shalt be so left of God, as to
prove an apostate in the end. Well, look up to the bow of
the covenant about the throne, and thou wilt find security
against that also: Phil. i. 6: "He which hath begun the

39*

462 THE RAINBOW OF THE COVENANT [SER.

good work in thee, will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ.
The righteous shall hold on his way, and he that hath clean
hands shall wax stronger and stronger." Grace and glory
are connected by the covenant so inseparably, that they can
never be divorced : Psal. lxxxiv. 11:" The Lord will give
grace and glory."

8thly, Perhaps thou may in a little fall under a melancholy
deadness and indisposition of heart; the spices of the garden,
that seem now to be sending out their smell, may wither, and
thou may be crying, / am a dry tree. Well, in that case,
look up to the throne of grace, and thy glorious Head sit-
ting on the throne, and thou wilt see thy life in him : "Our
life is hid with Christ in God. — Because I live, ye shall live
also. — After two days, will he revive us, in the third day he
will raise us up, and we shall live in his sight. — I will be as
the dew unto Israel, and they shall revive as the corn," Hos.
vi. and xiv.

9thly, Perhaps " the terrors of death" may shortly take hold
on thee, poor believer; the dark curtains of the grave, and the
shadows of the land of forgetfulness may begin to stretch them-
selves upon thee : O! what shall be done in that case ? I an-
swer, even in that case look up and take hold of the bow of
the covenant surrounding the throne ; as David did, when his
latter end was approaching, "Although my house be not so
with God ; yet he hath made with me an everlasting covenant,
ordered in all things and sure: for this is all my salvation,
and all my desire." The same holy man, (Psal. xxiii.) view-
ing the covenant, and God engaged to be with him in death,
cries out, (ver. 4,) "Yea, though I walk through the valley
of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for thou art with
me, thy rod and thy staff (hey comfort me." See a sweet
promise of the covenant to this purpose, Hos. xiii. 14 : "I will-
ransom them from the power of the grave: I will redeem them
from death: O death, I will be thy plagues! O grave, I will
be thy destruction !"

But, after all, you may perhaps say, These things may
yield excellent support and relief to the believer that has
taken hold of God's covenant, and gotten within the arches
of the bow ; but I fear I am none of these. An answer to
this leads me to the last use of the doctrine ; which I do not
design to enlarge upon at present. Only let me exhort and
call all hearing me, whether believers or unbelievers, to put
this matter out of doubt, presently without delay, by taking
hold of God's covenant, here represented by the " rainbow
surrounding the throne, in colour like unto an emerald." —
Sirs, ye cannot gripe the natural rainbow with the hands of
your body; but when you see it, you gripe at God's covenant

XV.] SURROUNDING THE THRONE OF GRACE. 463

with Noah by an act of trust or believing, that God, accord-
ing to that covenant, will deliver you from a deluge of water.
Well, do the same in the present case ; gripe or take hold of
God's covenant of grace, and his faithfulness engaged in it,
through Christ, for your deliverance and freedom from the
deluge of eternal wrath, which threatens to swallow you up
for ever and ever. But I go no farther at present.

THE SUBSTANCE OF SOME DISCOURSES.*

And there was a rainbow round about the throne, in sight like unto an
emerald. — Ret. iv. 3.

I proceed to the last use which I designed to make of the
doctrine, and that is by way of Exhortation.

Is it so, that the covenant of grace, and the faithfulness of
God engaged in it, is like a rainbow round about the throne, in
colour like unto an emerald? Then my exhortation to all hear-
ing me is, to answer the design, and improve this manifestation
and display of the grace of God. Why has he set the rain-
bow of his covenant round about his throne, but that sinners
who are far off may be encouraged to come and enter in
within God's covenant, and take hold of his faithfulness
pledged therein, that they may " obtain mercy, and find grace
at a throne of grace, to help them in time of need ?" When
you see the bow in-the clouds, you remember God's covenant
with Noah, and believe that you are safe against a second de-
luge of water, not for any good deed done by you to deserve
such a thing, but because of the veracity of God pledged in
his covenant with Noah : so, when you see the bow of the
covenant about a throne of grace, improve it as a security
against the deluge of wrath, which was stopped and recalled
upon the satisfaction and death of Christ; improve it, I say,
for this and all the other blessings that lie wrapped up in the
large bosom of it.

But now, that I may set this exhortation in a clearer light,
I shall endeavour, through divine assistance,

]. To show of what the rainbow of the covenant of srrace
is a sign.

1. Show what it is to improve this rainbow of the cove-
nant.

3. What are these blessings or privileges that lie within
the circle of this rainbow, and of which the soul comes to be

* Preached at Abernethy, Saturday and Sabbath, July 5 and 6, 1728.

464 THE RAINBOW OF THE COVENANT [SER. '

possessed, either in part or in whole, that moment that it
takes hold of God's covenant.

4. Who they are that may warrantably come within the
compass of this rainbow.

5. Roll away some impediments or stumbling-stones that
lie in the way of the sinner, and which have a fatal influence
to discourage him from taking the benefit of the rainbow of
the covenant which is about the throne.

6. Offer a few advices, in order to your improving the rain-
bow of the promise or covenant, for your safety against the
deluge of wrath that threatens you upon the account of sin.

1. The first thing proposed is, to inquire of what this rain-
bow of the covenant is a sign. You know the rainbow in the
visible heavens is a sign of something ; and so is this spiritual
rainbow of the covenant. As,

1st, It is a sign that the first covenant is broken, and that
"the wickedness of man was great upon the earth;" for
which cause "the fountains of the great deep" of God's wrath
were opened like a mighty sea, sweeping all Adam's family
to the bottomless pit. When we see the bow in the heavens,
we remember the flood of Noah, which was sent to take ven-
geance upon the old world for their sin; so when we view
the rainbow of the covenant, we should remember the flood
of divine wrath and vengeance, that is broken out against the
whole family and race of mankind. The broad flying roll
of the curse of God is gone forth over the face of the whole
earth, because of the sin of man: Gal. iii. 10: "Cursed is
every one that continueth not in all things which are written
in the book of the law to do them." Remember this when
you see the bow of the covenant of grace round about the
throne of grace.

2dly, This rainbow of the covenant is a sign that a ransom
is found out, and that the sacrifice of our great Noah, is ac-
cepted ; that God has smelled a sweet savour in the death of
our Lord Jesus Christ. You know the rainbow was set up in
the heavens, after God had accepted of Noah's sacrifice ; and
when we see God's bow in the clouds, we remember this: so,
when we look upon a covenant of grace, we ought to remem-
ber the death and satisfaction of Jesus, as the very ground
and foundation of God's dealing with sinners in a way of grace.
When we behold the covenant, we should behold the blood
of the covenant, behold the red streams of this rainbow :
Zech. ix. 11: " By the blood of thy covenant, I have sent
forth thy prisoners out of the pit wherein there is no water."
I have read, that in Holland, where most of their country is
taken off the sea by strong dikes, if the sea at any time hap-
pen to make a breach, by which the country is in danger of

XV.] SURROUNDING THE THRONE OF GRACE. 465

being laid under water, any man that observes the breach, is'
by the law of the country, ordered to stop the breach, if pos-
sible, though it were with his most valuable packs of goods,
and he has reparation from the community. O sirs! sin has
made a breach for the inundation of God's wrath to break in
upon the whole race of Adam ; and the breach was so wide,
and the current of wrath so rapid and strong, that it would
have swallowed up and swept away the whole creation of
angels and men, if they had been cast in to stop it. The glo-
rious Son of God, perceiving that nothing else would do it,
cast his own body into the breach ; " he redeemed us from
the curse of the law, being made a curse for us." Let us re-
member this, when we remember the bow about the throne.
3dly, The bow of the covenant, as it is set up in the hea-
ven of the visible church, is a sign that the deluge of God's
wrath is recalled, and that God is a God of peace toward sin-
ners, through the atoning blood of the Lamb. Sirs, I bring
you glad tidings of great joy, the waters of the deluge of God's
wrath are so far abated and fallen, that the olive-branch is
brought forth to your view by God's ministers. We preach
the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things to
you ; we tell you in the name of God, that he is so well pleased
with the ransom that he has found, that he declares " fury is
not in him," that " though he was angry, his anger is" now
" turned away :" and if ye will not believe his word, take his
oath for it, in which he has pawned his very life: Ezek.
xxxiii. 11 : "As I live, saith the Lord God, I have no pleasure
in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from
his way and live."

4ihly, The rainbow in the clouds is a sign of God's faithful
promise, that no man shall be ruined by a universal deluge.
Indeed, if a man will stand within the sea-mark till the wa-
ters of the sea overflow him, there is no help for that ; God's
faithfulness in his covenant with Noah stands firm, though the
man perish. So here, the rainbow about the throne of grace
is a sign of God's faithfulness in a word of promise, that no
man shall perish, who will take the advantage of the dry-land
that stands before him in the gospel. Indeed, if a man will
by unbelief stand still within the sea-mark of God's wrath till
he perish, there is no help for that ; but the faithfulness of
God in the covenant of grace stands firm, and shall not be
" made of none effect " through his folly. But I say " whoso-
ever belie veth," or taketh hold of the faithfulness of God
pledged in his covenant, " shall not perish, but have everlast-
ing life ;" the deluge of wrath shall never touch him. This
much for theirs/ thing, namely, what this rainbow about the
throne, in colour like unto an emerald, is a sign of.

466 THE RAINBOW OF THE COVENANT [SBR.

2. The second thing was, to inquire what it is to improve
this rainbow of the covenant ? I answer, as it is well expressed
in our Confession of Faith, chap. xiv. § 2, at the close, ' It is
to believe in Christ, or to accept, receive, and rest upon him
alone, for justification, sanctification, and eternal life, by vir-
tue of the covenant of grace.' This is a very material ex-
pression, and I fear little noticed by the generality of people;
a resting upon Christ, by virtue of the covenant of grace. As
we rest upon a man, by virtue of his word or promise ; so we
rest upon Christ, by virtue of the covenant, and the promises
of it. It is observable here in the text, that the rainbow is
round about the throne, and him that sits on it ; so that there
could be no coming to the throne, or Christ sitting on it, with-
out coming within the rainbow: so there is no coming to
Christ, no true believing in him, but by virtue of his word of
grace and promise in a covenant of grace. Arid this is one
main difference between true saving faith, and the presump-
tuous faith of hypocrites. Hypocrites, by a presumptuous
faith, will indeed gripe at Christ and salvation ; but in the
mean time they do not receive Christ and his benefits as they
lie within the rainbow, they do not receive and improve him
by virtue of the covenant of grace. The covenant of grace,
or the promise of God in Christ, it is his testament, bond, or
disposition, in which he assigns and makes over himself, his
righteousness, his Spirit, his fulness, and all the blessings of
his purchase. Now, true faith receives and rests upon Christ,
by virtue of this covenant of grace. I defy you either to fas-
ten your faith or trust upon God or man without a word of
promise to ground your faith upon. If I should bid you trust
or believe your neighbour, or any responsible man for a sum of
money that you stand in need of, you would ask me, Why,
what ground have I to trust him 1 has he promised to give it
or lend it to me! If he has not promised to do it, there is no
ground of trust ; and you would think that I were only mock-
ing you, when I bid you trust him for it, unless he has passed
his word. So, here, when we bid you believe in Christ, re-
ceive him, or rest upon him for salvation, your eye must im-
mediately be turned to the word of grace, or promise, and
his faithfulness engaged in it; for it is by virtue of that, that
we receive him, or approve and apply him to our own souls:
hence believing in Christ is expressed by a "taking hold of
God's covenant," Is. Ivi. 4; which expression plainly implies
a fastening on the veracity or faithfulness of God pledged in
the covenant. And how far the faithfulness of God is engaged
in the covenant of grace, I showed in the doctrinal part of
this discourse. He has subscribed it as a party, he has scaled
it with his oath, and the blood of his Son; he has attested it

XV»] SURROUNDING THE THRONE OF GRACE. 467

in the capacity of a witness ; he has consented to the regis-
tration, yea, has actually registered his bond, that we might
have the more speedy diligence upon it at a throne of grace.
Now, I say, faith is a taking hold of God's faithfulness thus
pledged in the covenant, it is a resting upon his veracity, it is
a trusting to him that he will be as good as his word, because
"it is impossible for God to lie;" it is a "setting to the seal
that he is true," and a saying with David, " God hath spoken
in his holiness, I will rejoice." O sirs ! faith in Christ, by vir-
tue of his word of grace and promise, is one of the plainest
and clearest things in the world, if the devil and an unbe-
lieving jealous heart working together, did not darken and
obscure the account we have of it in the word. What is
plainer than to trust the word of an honest man, or to rest on
him by virtue of his word 1 So here, believing is a resting
on Christ, or a trusting in him, by virtue of his covenant or
word of grace. But the legal proud heart of man has such
a strong bent after salvation by doing or working for life, that
nothing else than "the mighty power of God " can bring the
sinner to quit and renounce all his works and " righteousness
as filthy rags," and to take salvation and eternal life by trust-
ing or believing the bare word of a promising God in Christ.
But I shall not enlarge farther upon this at present.

3. The third thing proposed was, to inquire what are these
blessings or privileges which lie within the circuit of this rain-
bow of the covenant, and of which the soul comes to be pos-
sessed, either in part or in whole, the moment that it takes
hold of the covenant. The very naming of these blessings
may serve as so many motives or arguments, to persuade you
to take hold of the covenant, to come to a throne of grace, by
virtue of the rainbow that surrounds it. And here a field of
matter presents itself to view, so large and copious, that it is
impossible for the heart of man to conceive it, far less can the
tongue of man tell it, or express it in words ; for all the bless-
ings of heaven and eternity lie within the wide circuit of this
rainbow of the covenant, which surrounds God's throne of
grace. All grace whatsoever lay originally in the heart of
God; but as it lies there, it is inaccessible by sinners, "For
who hath known the mind of the Lord?" Well, because that
grace that is in God's heart is inaccessible by us, therefore he
brings it yet nearer to us, by taking a piece of our nature,
uniting it to the person of his eternal Son, and calls it Christ,
Messiah, Immanuel, God-man, or Godunth us ; and makes "all
the fulness of the Godhead," all the grace that is in his heart,
to dwell there, that so we might not be afraid to come to one
in our nature for grace and mercy to help us. But, that our
faith might yet have a greater advantage, he does not rest

468 THE RAINBOW OF THE COVENANT [SER.

there ; but he brings all the grace that is in Christ into a pro-
mise, or a covenant of grace, pledges his faithfulness in the
strongest way imaginable in the promise or covenant, that so
unbelief might have nothing to object. Unbelief might be
ready to say, It is true, there is enough of grace in Christ, but,
alas ! he is in heaven, and he has carried all his grace to hea-
ven with him ; and the throne on which he now sits is so
high, that I know not how to win at him. But, says the Lord,
O sinner, say not so, think not so ; for all the fulness of Christ
is nigh thee in the rainbow of my covenant. 1 give thee a
word of faith, a faithful word of promise, lean to that, rest on
that, and Christ, and all that is in him, and all the grace that
is in my heart, shall come along with it into thy soul. What
is it, O sinner, thou wantest, which thou maycst not have
either in title or possession, by resting on the veracity of him
who has set his bow in the clouds?

I shall instance in a few of the many blessings, that are to
be had by taking hold of God's covenant, or by believing in
Christ by virtue of the covenant.

1st, Would you have Jehovah, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost,
to be thy God, even thy own God, to be " the strength of thy
heart, and thy portion for ever?" Well, come within the
rainbow, by taking hold of God's covenant, or trusting in the
word of a promising God in Christ, and it shall be so ; for this
is the leading article of the covenant ; " I am the Lord thy
God. — I will be their God. — I am thy shield, and thy exceed-
ing great reward." O sirs, you lost your claim to God by the
first covenant; and while in a state of nature, under a cove-
nant of works, you are without God in the world :" but here
is a God in Christ coming back again in a new covenant, a
covenant of grace and peace, O take him at his word, and
take him in his word ; for " faithful is he that hath promised."
Let thy soul say to the Lord, upon the covenant ground and
grant, " This God is my God for ever and ever; and he shall
be thy God even unto death," because he has said it in his
covenant. But, say you, must I not first close with Christ be-
fore I can claim the Lord as my God? I answer, To close
with Christ is nothing else but to take a God in Christ as thy
own God, by virtue of the covenant of grace and promise, in
Which his faithfulness is more deeply engaged than ever it
was in God's covenant with Noah, of which the rainbow is a
perpetual and standing sign. But O, say you, I am afraid it
would be presumption for me to claim a God in Christ for my
God, upon the covenant-grant, "I will be their God." I an-
swer, So far is it from being presumption, that it is rebellion
against the authority of the great God interposed in the very
first command of the moral law, not to know and acknow-

XV.] SURROUNDING THE THRONE OF GRACE. 469

ledge him, and trust in him as God, and as thy own God :
and till thou take him as thy God in Christ, thou art living in
open rebellion against the authority of Heaven : and wilt thou
adventure to be a rebel against God, to avoid the danger of
presumption, and so "rush upon the thick bosses" of Hea-
ven's buckler? O that I could persuade you to obey the
first command of the moral law, as it stands in a subserviency
to the covenant of grace, contained in the preface to the ten
commandments, which teaches us to believe that he is the
Lord our God and Redeemer, upon the ground of his own
faithfulness pledged in these words, " I am the Lord thy God."
O sirs, if you can but find in your hearts, through grace, to
obey the first command in the law, you will find it easy to
obey the rest ; and if you can but find in your hearts, through
grace, to believe this first, and leading promise of the cove-
nant of grace, " I am the Lord thy God," you will find it easy
to lay claim by faith to all the subsequent promises of the co-
venant; for it would then be remembered, that the first pro-
mise of the covenant, and the first command of the moral law,
are inseparably linked together.

2dly, Take hold of the covenant, and come within the arch
of this blessed bow that goes round about the throne, and
there thou shalt find a sealed pardon of sin, an indemnity, an
act of oblivion for all thy sins, though they be innumerable as
the stars, and great and heinous like the lofty mountains:
Heb. viii. 12: "J will be merciful to their unrighteousness,
and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more."
So Jer. xxxi. 34 : View him that sits upon the throne within
the rainbow, and thou wilt hear him saying, " I, even I, am
he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and
will not remember thy sins." O condemned sinner! trust a
God in Christ for this, by virtue of his covenant, or by virtue
of his promise ; for " the Strength of Israel will not lie nor
repent."

3dly, Thou art by nature an alien, a stranger, a foreigner,
a child of hell; wouldst thou fain come back again to God's
family, and have a God in Christ as thy Father? Well, view
the rainbow, come within the circuit of it, and there thou
shalt have this: "I will be a Father unto you, and ye shall
be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty. But as
many as received him," by virtue of this covenant-grant,
" to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to
them that believe on his name," John i. 12.

4thly, Dost thou want a principle of spiritual life, who art
by nature " dead in trespasses and sins ?" Well, believe in the
Son of God, by virtue of the covenant, and thou shalt have
it ; for, says Christ, (John xi. 25,) " He that believeth in me,

vol. i. 40

470 THE RAINBOW OF THE COVENANT [SER*

though he were dead, yet shall he live." Wouldst thou have
thy spiritual life more abundant? new quickenings under the
languishings of grace ? Well, this is within the rainbow of
the covenant : " Thy life is hid with Christ in God ;" and he
has said, that " thou shalt revive as the corn, and grow as the
vine."

Again ; dost thou want to have thy " heart sprinkled from
an evil conscience ?" Here it is to be had ; Ezek. xxxvi. 25 :
" I will sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean:
from all your filthiness, and from all your idols will I cleanse
you."

Would you have the power of sin broken in thy soul ?
Take hold of God's covenant, or believe in Christ by virtue
of the covenant, and thou shalt have this also: Mic. vii. 19:
" I will subdue their iniquities." Rom. vi. 14: " Sin shall not
have dominion over you : for ye are not under the law, but
under grace."

Wouldst thou have thy "stony heart" softened, and turned
into "a heart of flesh?" "This also lies within the rainbow
of the covenant: Ezek. xxxvi. 26: "A new heart also will
I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you, and I will
take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give
you a heart of flesh."

Would you have the Spirit of God within you, as a " Spirit
of wisdom and revelation," as a quickening, guiding, and sanc-
tifying Spirit? Well, this is within the covenant also: Ezek.
xxxvi. 27 : "I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you
to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and
do them."

Would you have protection against all enemies and dan-
gers ? This, also, is to be had within the circuit of this rain-
bow. The man Christ, who sits upon the throne, " is a hiding-
place from the wind, and a covert from the tempest."

Wouldst thou have strength to encounter thy enemy,
strength to grapple with difficulties, and to manage thy work
and warfare? This is within the rainbow of the covenant:
Zech. x. 12: "And I will strengthen them in the Lord, and
they shall walk up and down in his name, saith the Lord."
Is. xli. 10: "I will strengthen them, yea, I will help them,
yea, I will uphold them with the right hand of my righteous-
ness."

Lastly, Would you have grace to keep in the Lord's way
to the end, till the good work be perfected ? Well, this is in
the covenant: "The righteous shall hold on his way, and he
that hath clean hands shall wax stronger and stronger. He
which hath begun the good work in you, will perform it until
the day of Jesus Christ." All these, and innumerable other

XV.] SURROUNDING THE THRONE OF GRACE. 471

blessings, lie within the circuit of this rainbow, which goes
round about the throne of grace.

4. The, fourth thing proposed was, to inquire who are they
that may warrantably come within the compass of this rain-
bow ? who are they that may take hold of God's covenant?
An answer to this question is the more necessary, as it is one
of the main engines by which the devil keeps sinners under
the power of unbelief, to tell them that God's covenant and
promise belong to others, and not to them. Will the poor
sinner be ready to say, Indeed if I were a believer, I might
confidently come within this rainbow, and intermeddle with
Christ, and the blessings of his covenant; but till then 1 must
not presume to meddle. And thus, I say, sinners are many
times discouraged from coming to Christ to take hold of his
covenant. But, sirs, allow me to tell you, that none are ex-
cluded from coming within this rainbow, or from coming to
Christ who sits on the throne of grace, by virtue of this cove-
nant of grace, but only they who exclude themselves by their
unbelief. Every one hath liberty to look to the natural rain-
bow, and improve the faithfulness of God in his promise as a
security against the universal deluge ; so every soul that hears
the gospel, is allowed to look to the rainbow of the covenant
of grace, and improve it as a security, through the satisfac-
tion of Christ, against the deluge of divine wrath due to him
for sin.

Quest. What is it that may warrant and encourage a lost
sinner by faith to lay hold of the faithfulness of God, engaged
in this rainbow of the covenant that is about his throne?

Answ. 1. God commands you to lay hold on his covenant:
1 John iii. 23 : " This is his commandment, that we should be-
lieve on the name of his Son Jesus Christ." Now, when God
bids you believe in Christ, he bids you believe in him, by vir-
tue of the covenant of grace, or by virtue of the free promise
of life through Christ to perishing sinners. O essay it in the
strength of him that commands you. The very first com-
mand, as I was saying, warrants you, yea, obliges you to have
a God in Christ, and none other, as your God. Now, this
command is to all and every one; and if it were not so, it
would needs follow, that there are some in whom unbelief
were no sin ; for where there is no law, there can be no trans-
gression : but depend upon it, sirs, that unbelief is your sin,
and the great sin upon which the sentence of condemnation
will run against you at the great day ; and if unbelief be your
sin, then it is your indispensable duty, by the command of
God, to believe in Christ or to trust in him for salvation, by
virtue of his faithfulness engaged in the bow of the covenant
that is about the throne of grace.

472 THE RA1NE0VV OF THE COVENANT [SER.

2dly, Let the extent of the rainbow encourage and warrant
you to come within it. The natural rainbow reaches from
one end of the heaven to the other: but, Osirs, the grace of
God in a covenant of grace is much wider and larger, for it
reaches forth its arms to clasp every creature in its bosom,
Mark xvi. 15, 16. The voice of a God of grace is to men, and
the sons of men, to take hold of his covenant, to improve his
faithfulness in the rainbow against this the deluge of his wrath:
Is. lv. 1,2: " Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the
waters, and he that hath no money ; let him come. Where-
fore do ye spend your money for that which is not bread? and
your labour for that which satisfieth not?"

Sdly, The rainbow of the covenant is pointed towards you
in particular ; and if you will but look to it, you will see the
end of it coming close to your very hand : Acts ii. 39 : " The
promise is unto you, and to your seed, and to all that are afar
off. — To you is the word of this salvation." Art thou a sin-
ner, far away, like the prodigal '? Well, see the rainbow about
the throne pointing to you : Is. lvii. 19 : "I create the fruit
of the lips ; peace, peace to him that is far off." So Acts ii.
39. Art thou a polluted sinner, black like the Ethiopian, spot-
ted like the leopard 1 Well, see the rainbow of the covenant
pointing out its grace to you : Psal. lxviii. 13 : " Though ye
have lien among the pots, yet shall ye be as the wings of a
dove covered with silver, and her feathers with yellow gold."
Art thou sinking under the load of sin, as a burden heavier
than thou canst bear ? Well, see the bow of the covenant
reaching grace and mercy to help thee. "Cast thy burden
upon the Lord, and he shall sustain thee." In a word, what-
ever be thy condition, if on this side of hell, thou wilt find still
the bow of God's covenant stretching out its hand to thee and
accommodating itself to thy condition and circumstance. Al-
though the arch of the bow be high, yet it stoops down to
every man ; though the throne be high and lifted up, and he
that sits on it be exalted, yet the bow that is about his throne
bows itself down to thy very hand, that thou may climb up
to Christ by it in a way of believing : and therefore " say not
in thine heart, Who shall ascend into heaven, to bring Christ
down from above 1 or, Who shall descend into the deep, to
bring up Christ again from the dead ? for the word is nigh
thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart : that is the word
of faith which we preach," Rom. x. 6 — 8.

Athly, It is most pleasing to him that sits on the throne of
grace to see a lost sinner come within the circuit of his rain-
bow for safety. You cannot do a thing that is so pleasing to
God, as to believe in Christ, by virtue of the covenant. John
vi. 29 : " This is the work of God, that ye believe on him

XV.] SURROUNDING THE THRONE OF GRACE. 473

whom he hath sent." He speaks as if this were the only
work ; and indeed it is so much the only work of a sinner,
that without it, it is impossible to please him ; and with it
every thing you do is pleasing, your persons and your sacrifices
are accepted upon his altar. O sirs, will you not do a thing
that is so pleasing to him that made you, him that preserves
you, him that provides for you, him that shed the blood of his
heart to redeem you 1 Never was the overflowing breast of
a tender-hearted mother more glad to be sucked, than the
Lord is to see a sinner come within the bow of his covenant,
for grace and mercy to help in time of need.

bthhj, The nature of the throne, and the nature of the rain-
bow, invites and encourages your faith and trust. The throne
is of the nature with the rainbow, the throne is a throne of
grace, and the covenant a covenant of grace. What sort of
a throne is a throne of grace 1 It is a throne for beggars,
debtors, and bankrupts, to come to, that they may get whatso-
ever they want freely ; it is a throne that stands by outgiving,
by giving liberally to all without upbraiding. What sort of a
covenant is a covenant of grace 1 The very name of it tells
you what is its nature ; a covenant of grace can be nothing
else but an absolute free grant of all the riches of grace that
lie about the throne of grace. If any thing were required
of us as a condition of our taking or receiving the blessings
of the covenant, it would that moment cease to be a cove-
nant of grace. But, say you, is not faith the condition of
the covenant? Answ. I will be loath to condemn that way of
speaking, because worthy men have used it, and do use it
in a sound sense. But, sirs, I would have you to remember,
that when it is called a condition, all that such worthy learn-
ed men mean by it, is only this ; that you can have no saving
benefit or advantage by Christ, unless he be received ; you
can have no benefit by God's covenant or promise, unless
you believe the pi'omise to be true, and believe it with ap-
plication to your own souls. Faith is just such a condition
as shows the inseparable connexion between one thing and.
another. As if you should say to a beggar, ' There is your
alms, on the condition that you take it : ' There is meat, on
the condition you eat it ;' ' There is a good bond for a sum of
money, on condition that you trust him that granted it.' Or,
as if I should say to one, thou shalt have the benefit of the
light of the sun, on condition thou open thine eyes to see it ;
or, The ground will bear you, on condition you lay your weight
upon it. Such a condition of the covenant of grace is faith;
it is just taking what is freely given " without money and
price :" and let it be remembered, that itself is one of the
blessings promised in this covenant. Now, I say,, let the

40*

474 THE RAINBOW OF THE COVENANT [SER.

nature of the throne, and the nature of the rainbow of the
covenant, encourage and warrant you to come and trust in
a God of grace. I make but a supposition, that a great and
rich king should erect a throne in the open field, and emit a
proclamation for all beggars, bankrupts, and people in wants
and straits, to come to his throne, and they should get what-
ever they needed. O what a gathering would there be !
With what confidence would needy people flock thither, and
ask what they wanted, especially if the king had sworn by
his life that they should be served 1 Well, this is the very
case : the throne of grace is only a throne for the needy,
for " The rich are sent empty away :" and the bow about
the throne is just the faithfulness of God engaged in a free
promise, that come to him who will, " he will in no wise cast
them out." O then take the advantage, and trust his promise,
and you have the thing promised, for his promise is as good
as payment.

Gthly, Will you but take a view of the name of him that
sits upon the throne within the rainbow, and let that encou-
rage your faith, hope, and expectation. O sirs, " they that
know his name will put their trust in him ;" his name that sits
on the throne is a strong tower, to which the sinner may fee,
and to whieh the saints " do flee and are safe." See what
his name is, Exod. xxxiv. 6, his name is, " The Lord, the
Lord God, Jehovah El, the strong God, able to do for thee
exceeding abundantly above what thou canst ask or think."
He stretched out the heavens and laid the foundations of the
earth, and does whatever pleases him in the armies of hea-
ven, and among the inhabitants of the earth; and therefore
is able to do for thee whatever thou askest of him, yea, more
than thou canst ask. Abraham by faith stayed himself upon
the power of a promising God without staggering, Rom. iv.
20,21. Again; his name is merciful: and therefore may
thou say, Will he not answer his name, and extend mercy,
considering that misery is the only proper object of mere)*,
and I am wretched, miserable, poor and blind, and naked ?
David's faith found footing in this name of a God in Christ,
when he could not stand before the bar of the law, Psal.
exxx. 4 : " But there is mercy with thee ; that thou mayst
be feared." Again ; his name who sits upon the throne within
the rainbow is gracious; and it is the very nature of grace,
as I said, to give, and to give freely. Grace is that attribute
of the divine nature which shall be celebrated through eter-
nity ; this world is but a theatre on which he designs the
manifestations of his grace. May not this encourage thee to
go within the circuit of the rainbow, and ask grace and
mercy to help thee in time of need 1 Unbelief, indeed, will

XV.] SURROUNDING THE THRONE OF GRACE- 475

tell thee, that " the Lord has forgotten to be gracious ;" but
it is not so, for he cannot forget his own name. Unbelief
will tell thee, that thou art unworthy of his grace, and this
will hinder thee from coming successfully ; but that cannot
be, either, for grace is most grace when it is extended to the
most unworthy. Thus, I say, draw encouragement from the
name of him that sits upon the throne within the rainbow.

Ithly, It is for the honour and glory of God, that you im-
prove the rainbow of the covenant, for your security against
the deluge of wrath, and for obtaining the blessings that lie
within the bosom of it. Hereby ye glorify his power, being
persuaded that he is able to make good what he has pro-
mised ; hereby you glorify his holiness, which is pawned to the
great covenant-head, and give thanks at the remembrance
of his holiness, pledged in the covenant to him and his seed ;
hereby you glorify his justice, by acquiescing in that right-
eousness or justice which is the foundation of his throne ;
hereby you glorify his mercy, and join with him in saying,
" Mercy shall be built up for ever," hereby you glorify his
truth and faithfulness, by " setting to the seal that God is
true :" in a word, you give him the glory of your salvation,
saying, " Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne,
and unto the Lamb for ever and ever ;" the language of faith
is, " Not unto us, O Lord, not unto us, but unto thy name be
the glory."

Thus you see that there is noble encouragement, and the
best warrants in the world, for believing or coming within
this bow of the covenant. O then, sirs, for the Lord's sake,
and for your own souls' sake, flee within the rainbow that
is about the throne ; believe in Christ by virtue of the cove-
nant of grace and promise. And if after all you will not
comply, I declare in the name of God, that the bow of God's
covenant shall stand you in no stead. The faithfulness of
God, that is engaged to save the sinner that believes, or takes
hold of his covenant, is engaged to damn the soul that con-
tinues in unbelief; for, as " he that believeth, shall be saved ;
so he that believeth not shall be damned." The fountains of
the great deep of God's wrath will inevitably sweep you
away; and he who is the God of salvation has said, that he
will " wound the head of his enemies, and the hairy scalp of
them that go on still in their trespasses."

5. The fifth thing proposed was, to roll away some im-
pediments, or stumbling-stones, that lie in the way of sinners,
and which have a fatal influence in discouraging them to
take the benefit of the rainbow of the covenant, which sur-
rounds the throne of grace. There are some things on God's
part, that appear as great and strong bars against the sinner,

476 THE RAINBOW OF THE COVENANT [sER.

and tend mightily to discourage him from looking either to
the throne, or the bow that surrounds it ; namely, the law of
God, the justice of God, the holiness of God, and the decree
of God.

1st, The law of God. O, says the sinner, I am condemned
already by God's law and how then shall I look towards
God's covenant, or take hold of it for my safety against the
deluge of wrath 1 Answ. If thou hadst not broken the divine
law, thou wouldst not stand in need of the grace of God's co-
venant. The law is so far from being against the promise in
the business of salvation, that that moment thou takest hold
of Christ by virtue of the covenant or promise, the right-
eousness of the law is fulfilled in thee ; " for Christ is the end
of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth.
Christ zvas made under the law to redeem them that were
under the law."

2dly, But O, says the sinner, the justice of God is against
me, the thoughts of incensed justice make my heart to trem-
ble within me. Answ. The throne of grace, that is surrounded
with the bow of the covenant, is founded upon justice satis-
fied, and judgment executed upon the Surety ; and that
moment thou comest within the bow of the covenant, justice
becomes thy friend, assoilzing thee on the ground of Christ's
satisfaction : for " God has set forth Christ to be a propitia-
tion, through faith in his blood, to show forth his righteous-
ness for the remission of sins ; that he might be just and the
justifier of him which believeth in Jesus."

Sdly, The holiness of God sometimes scares the sinner from
looking toward the throne of grace, or covenant of grace. —
But, sirs, I tell you, that that moment you come within the
bow of the covenant, you are " made partakers of his holi-
ness;" and the holiness of God being laid in pawn for the out-
making of the promise, stands up for its own interest in the
sinner's behalf. And, beside, by the blood of Jesus, the filth
of sin is covered from the eyes of unspotted holiness, as well as
the guilt of it hid from the eye of incensed justice.

4thly, The sinner is ready to be scared from taking hold of
God's covenant, and his faithfulness engaged in it, on account
of the decrees of God. O, will the sinner say, it is true, if I
were among the number of the elect, I might meddle with
God's covenant ; but, alas ! I think I am none of these, and
therefore I need not think of taking hold of Christ by virtue
of his covenant. But, sirs, let me tell you, that " secret things
belong unto the Lord, but those things which are revealed,
belong unto us and to our children." Let God's decrees alone;
you have no more business with them in the matter of be-
lieving, than you have to trouble yourself with what they

XV.] SURROUNDING THE THRONE OF GRACE. 477

are doing in Mexico or Peru. Meddle you with the things
that are revealed, for these are the things that belong to us,
and to our children. Now. what are the things that are re-
vealed'? Christ is revealed, the covenant and the promises
are revealed as the ground of faith, the command of God en-
joining you to believe is revealed, God's good will to man upon
earth is revealed : these are the things that belong to you,
and therefore meddle you with these. And let not the devil
and your own ill heart together perplex and confound you, by
telling you, that you do not know if you be elected ; for that
moment you come within the bow of God's covenant, you may
know your election, and that " God hath loved you with an
everlasting love ;" and no other way can you possibly know
it. But, besides all this, let me tell you, that God's promise,
registered in his word, is but an extract of the eternal thought
and purpose of his heart; so that by believing his promise,
immediately you may know that you are " the called accord-
ing to his purpose."

But, may the sinner say, that though there be no bar on
God's part, yet there are many bars and impediments on my
part. I shall endeavour to roll away these also, by answer-
ing the following objections of unbelief: —

• Object. 1. I am a poor unworthy creature, I dare not think
of meddling with God's covenant. Anszo. It is a bastard de-
vilish humility, that keeps you from believing ; for the more
unworthy you are of the grace and favour of God, the more
fit you are for receiving the grace of God at a throne of grace,
by virtue of the covenant of grace. Grace is only calculated
for the unworthy sinner, and not for those that think them-
selves worthy of it.

Object. 2. My sins are like the great mountains, and 1 fear
the grace of God will never level them. Answ. Take hold of
God's covenant, and you shall find these mountains removed,
and cast into the midst of the sea : Is. i. 18: "Come now, and
let us reason together, saith the Lord : though your sins be
as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red
like crimson, they shall be as wool."

Object. 3. I want a law-work, I am not weary and heavy
laden, and therefore am not fit to take hold of God's covenant.
Answ. If thou think to make a law-work and humiliation a
price in your hand to recommend you to Christ, and fit you
for him ; I tell you that instead of fitting yourself for Christ,
you are building up a wall between Christ and you, that you
shall never win over. If you see an absolute need of Christ,
and that you are undone without him, do not stand to seek
more law-work ; for that moment you close with Christ, by
virtue of the covenant of grace, the law has gotten its end.

478 THE RAINBOW OF THE COVENANT [SER.

Christ being " the end of the law to every one that believeth."
It is the weary and heavy laden that are called ; but that is
not to exclude others, who cannot find that disposition in
themselves; and they are mentioned in particular in the call,
because they are most ready to exclude themselves from
having any concern in Christ or his covenant.

Object. 4. I am afraid to take hold of God's covenant in
case I turn away from his commandments, and so render
myself unworthy of a covenant relation to him. Anszv. If you
really take hold of his covenant, the grace of his covenant
will keep you in the way of his commandments: Jer. xxxii.
40: "I will make an everlasting covenant with them, that I
will not turn away from them to do them good : but I will
put my fear in their hearts, that they shall not depart from
me."

Object. 5. I am afraid to take hold of God's covenant in
case that I never be able to bear the cross : I will faint in the
day of adversity, for my strength is small. Answ. Do not
fear that, for he that sits on the throne has said in his cove-
nant, " when thou passest through the waters, he will be with
thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee:
when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burnt;
neither shall the flame kindle upon thee." His presence shall
go with thee to the hottest furnace, and unto the deep waters
of Mara : and if so, there is no fear : but thy head shall be
carried above.

Object. 6. I have formerly tried to take hold of God's co-
venant; but I have played the harlot with many lovers since
that. Answ. Renew thy gripes of the covenant; for the grace
of God's covenant, the rainbow about the throne, is still point-
ing thee out as it were by name: Jer. iii. 1: "Though thou
hast played the harlot with many lovers; yet return again to
me, saith the Lord."

Object. 7. But I have acted as a rebel against Heaven, I
have been waging war against God, and will ever he allow
me to meddle with his covenant, or come within the verge of
this rainbow? For answer, see Psal. lxviii. 18, where we are
told concerning him that sits upon the throne of grace within
the rainbow, " He received gifts for men ; yea, even for the
rebellious, that the Lord God might dwell among us." See
also, Is. Iv. 7: " Let the wicked forsake his way, and the un-
righteous man his thoughts: and Jet him return unto the Lord,
and he will have mercy upon him, and to our God, for he will
abundantly pardon."

Object. 8. I want power to take hold of the covenant, I want
power to believe in Christ by virtue of the covenant. Answ.
He that sits upon the throne, with the rainbow about it, he is

XV.] SURROUNDING THE THRONE OF GRACE. 479

saying, " I will give power to the faint, and increase strength
to them that have no might;" yea, he has said that he will
" make thee willing in the day of his power:" and if he has
given thee the will to believe, there is no fear for the want of
power; for he that works the will by his covenant, has en-
gaged to work the do also; he " works in us, both to will and
to do of his good pleasure."

Object. 9. You are ever speaking of the bow of the covenant,
but I would fain see it; I have seen the natural bow, but the
rainbow of the covenant is invisible. Answ. It is strange not
lo see it, when you have it in your hand ; the Old and New
Testament is the rainbow that I am speaking of; the rainbow
is at this moment shining upon you in a preached gospel. O
remember that awful word, 2 Cor. iv. 3, 4 : " If our gospel
be hid, it is hid to them that are lost; in whom the God of this
world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest
the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of
God, should shine unto them."

Object. 10. I am afraid I am one of those from whom this
rainbow is hid, and so am lost for ever. A?isw. If thou dost
not see it, I ask, Art thou longing to see it? If so, I can tell
you, for good news, thou shalt see it ere long; "for he satis-
rieth the longing soul, and lilleth the hungry soul with good-
ness;" and then he that sits on the throne has said, that he
will " open the blind eyes, and turn thee from darkness, that
thou shalt behold the glory of the Lord, and the excellency
of our God."

Thus I have endeavoured to roll away all the impediments
I can think of, that you may be encouraged to come within
the bow that is about the throne of grace. What are you re-
solved to do? Will you come within the bow of God's cove-
nant or not? I would fain expostulate the matter with you.
What will you do in the day of death, if you come not within
this rainbow? What will you do in the day of reckoning, when
standing before the bar of God ? Whither will you flee, when
rocks and mountains refuse to fall upon you, to hide you from
the face of the Lamb 1 O sirs, there is no shunning the deluge
of divine wrath, but by taking hold of the covenant, and of
the faithfulness of God engaged in it ; the whole creation
cannot help you, if you do it not, but you must lie under the
fiery mountains of God's wrath for ever ; for " he that be-
lieveth not is condemned already ; and the wrath of God
abideth on him."

But 1 cannot think of parting with you upon mount Ebal
or Sinai. And therefore let me beseech you, by the mercy
of God, by all the blessings of his covenant-, by the blood and
bowels of a God of love in Christ, by all the glory of heaven

4S0 THE RAINBOW OF THE COVENANT [sER.

and eternity, that you come within the compass of the rain-
bow that is about the throne. O, say you, with my whole
soul I would take hold of God's covenant, and his faithful-
ness engaged in it ; but will you give us your advice as to
this matter. An answer to this leads to, —

6. The last thing proposed, which was, to offer a few ad-
vices in order to your improving the rainbow of the promise,
or covenant, for your safety against the deluge of wrath.

1st, Study to be firmly persuaded of your misery and lost
state without Christ, and while without the confines of the
bow that surrounds his throne. Till you see your lost state
by the breach of the covenant of works, you will never take
hold of a covenant of grace ; and - therefore be firmly per-
suaded, that by nature you are wretched, miserable, poor,
blind, and naked. But now if you have come to this persua-
sion, you must not rest content here, for many have perished
in this place of breaking forth of children. And therefore,

2dhj, Be firmly persuaded, that there is relief for you in
Christ, and in the new covenant, of which he is the glorious
Head. However bad thy condition is, there is relief for thee
in Christ ; for he is all in all. Is thy state a state of sin 1
Well, Christ is the Saviour of none but sinners. Is thy state
a state of distance from God 1 Well, he came to bring us near
by his own blood. Is thy state a state of enmity and war
against Heaven 1 Well, his work is to reconcile God and man,
to satisfy justice, and to slay the enmity of the heart; he
breaks down the wall of partition, and brings both parties
unto one. Is thy state a hopeless state 1 Well, he is the hope
of all the ends of the earth. Is it a state of darkness ? He is
the light of the world. Art thou in an impotent state'? He
is the strength of the poor, and of the needy. Art thou in a
state of bondage 1 He proclaims liberty to the captives, and
the opening of the prison to them that are bound. Art thou
cursed 1 He came to redeem thee from the curse. Art thou
dead in sin, dead by the law ? Well, he died that we might
live; and though thou be dead, yet thou shalt live, if you be-
lieve in him. So that, I say, there is that in Christ which
meets with the condition of the sinner, let his case be ever
so bad, if he be on this side of hell. Now, I say, be persuaded
of all this, be assured of it, that there is help laid upon this
mighty Redeemer, and that he is indeed " able to save to the
very uttermost."

Sdly, Be persuaded that the rainbow, that is surrounding
the throne of grace, is pointing to you ; I mean, that the co-
venant of grace, or promise of help, relief, and rest, through
Christ, is left to you, and directed or endorsed to you in par-
ticular, and that it belongs to you, as a thing you may claim

XV.J SURROUNDING THE THRONE OF GRACE. 481

without any vicious intromission. This is absolutely necessa-
ry, for I can never trust to a security, which mean time I
think or imagine is granted to another man, and not to myself.
Can I prosecute upon a bond granted in another man's name,
and not in my own 1 O, say you, if I thought I had a right to
the covenant, or promise of Got] in Christ, I would believe it,
and rejoice. Well, to establish you in the faith of this, know,

0 sinner, for thy encouragement. (1) The covenant and pro-
mise is endorsed or directed to thee, as if thou wert named
by name and surname. Like a letter, when it is backed to
a man ; when he reads the back of the letter, and finds it di-
rected to him, he breaks the seal of it, and claims all that is in
it, though it were a security for millions of gold and silver.
(2.) Thou hast already got the seal of the covenant in baptism ;
and would God allow the seal of his covenant, and yet wilt
thou say thou hast no claim to intermeddle with the covenant
itself? (3.) God has put his covenant, his confirmed testa-
ment, in thy hand as a charter for eternal life, and command-
ed thee to read it, search it, trust to it for a happy eternitv ;
and yet wilt thou say thou hast no claim to the covenant, no
right to take hold of it? And therefore, I say, be persuaded
that you have a good claim to the covenant of grace and pro-
mise: "the promise is to you, and to your seed." You may
readily say to me, that by this means God's promise is made
to the reprobate, as well as to the elect, in the visible church.

1 answer with the learned and pious Rutherford, that there-
probate have as good a revealed warrant for believing as the
elect have. If God's covenant and promise were not to all
in common within the visible church, and if his faithfulness
were not engaged in the promise tendered to them, how is it
possible that unbelievers could be said to " make God a liar,"
by not believing his promise, or the record, in which he has
given to us eternal life, in his Son Jesus Christ? You may
again object and say, If God's promises were made to the
reprobate, then it would follow, that his faithfulness would
fail, if he did not fulfil his promise to them. I answer, We
are to distinguish between the promise in the exhibition of
it. in the word, and in the effectual application of it by the
Spirit. In the first of these respects it is made to all, with-
out exception of elect, or reprobate; and that the promise
is not made effectual to the reprobate will no more infer the
want of faithfulness in God, than a man's not marrying of a
woman after he has passed his promise to her, when yet she
refuses to consent to the bargain.

4M/y, Be persuaded, that this covenant of grace and pro-
mise is a good and noble security, and that it is able to bear
thy weight. You heard in the doctrinal part, how much

vol. i. 41

482 THE RAINBOW OF THE COVENANT, [SER.

the faithfulness of God is engaged in the covenant. Pray
do not forget it; he has subscribed it, attested it, sealed it,
registered it; in a word, he has given all imaginable advan-
tage for believing, and takes off all imaginable pleas for un-
belief.

Slhhjj Be much in viewing those great and glorious bless-
ings that lie within the covenant, within the verge of the
bow that is about the throne: of which I gave you an account
upon the third head proposed, in prosecuting of this exhor-
tation. What thinkest thou of having Jehovah, Father.
Son, and Hoi}' Ghost, for thy God and portion for ever ?
What thinkest thou of a sealed pardon, and indemnity for all
thy sins ? What thinkest thou of being " an heir of God, and
a joint-heir with Christ ?" What thinkest thou of the " in-
heritance, that is incorruptible, and undcnled, and which
fadeth not away ?" Yet all these lie within the circle of the
bow of the covenant. Now, I say, keep your eye upon these.
that you may be encouraged, or stirred up to press towards
the actual possession of these glorious blessings, by coining
within this blessed bow.

6th/y, Take a view of all these great and glorious bless-
ings, as lying in the hand of him that sits upon the throne,
ready to be given out to every one that believes in him by
virtue of the covenant. 0 hear him that sits on the throne
crying to all sinners, to a whole perishing world, " Whoso-
ever believeth in me, shall not perish, but have everlasting
life. Whosoever will, let him come, and take the water of
life freely." Thus, I say, be persuaded, that all the bless-
ings of the covenant lie ready in his hand to be distributed
and communicated to every one that comes to him.

Ithly. Being firmly persuaded of all these things, study to
rest, and lay the weight of thy sinking soul upon the veracity
and faithfulness of a promising God in Christ. You know
what it is to lay weight upon an honest man's word, who you
are persuaded will not fail you ; so lay weight and stress
upon the promise of God, upon his faithfulness engaged in the
covenant, being fully persuaded, that what he has promised,
he is both able and willing to perform. O sirs, trust in him,
let his truth be your shield and buckler, for he is truth itself,
faithfulness is the girdle of his loins ; hang by his girdle, and
say with David, " In his word will I hope. Remember the
word unto thy servant, upon which thou hast caused me to
hope." And if thou do so, thou shalt not be disappointed :
" The fashion of this world passeth away ; but the word of
the Lord endureth for ever."

Slhlij, If you have thus entered within the bow of the co-
venant, go forward to the throne and him that sits on it,

XV.] SURROUNDING THE THRONE OF GRACE. 483

whose appearance is like a jasper and sardine stone for
brightness and glory ; pursue him at his own throne ; plead
the actual out-making and accomplishing of his promise, for
this is God's stated and ordinary way appointed in his word:
Ezck. xxxvi. 37, compared with ver. 25 — 27 : there God
makes a great many promises, and after all he adds, "For
These things I will be inquired of by the house of Israel, that
I may do it for them. Only when you come to the throne,
and plead the promise, take care that you do not expect the
accomplishment of the promise for your own pleading; but
upon the account of his own faithfulness engaged in his own
covenant of grace. But, may you say, I have neither skill
nor confidence to plead the promise. { answer, It is very
true, you have no skill to manage at his throne ; and there-
fore 1 give you —

A i)l/i advice: Put the promise of the covenant, of which
you seek the accomplishment, in the hand of your advocate,
that he may plead it for you : "We have an advocate with
the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous." And therefore in
your approaches to the throne, beware of neglecting him ;
for " he hath made us accepted in the beloved :" owing to his
skill and his interests in the court. He has his Father's ear,
and his Father's commission to make " intercession for the
transgressors." The Father says to him, "Ask of me, and I
shall give thee the Heathen for thine inheritance, and the ut-
termost parts of the earth for thy possession." So. that how-
ever great your suits at a throne of grace are, you have no
reason to fear, if you employ this glorious advocate and days-
man : and in doing so, do not doubt of success ; " but ask in
faith, nothing wavering : — draw near with a true heart, in
full assurance of faith."

lOlhlij, When you have done all this, you must wait for
the accomplishment and out-making of the promise in a sen-
sible way ; for " he that believeth, does' not make haste. — I
will look unto the Lord : I will wait for the God of my sal-
vation : my God will hear me." Da not limit the Lord to
your time : but wait his time : " For the Lord is a God of
judgment, and he waits to be gracious ; and therefore blessed
are all they that wait for him." Sirs, if you have but the
promise of a man, or the bond of a man, for a sum of mo-
ney, you will wait many years before you get payment, and
yet you will not doubt of payment at the end, when the time
comes; and will you trust and wait on men, and will you not
wait on your God continually.'? O "the Lord is good unto
them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him. The
vision is for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak,
and not lie : though it tarry, wait for it, because it will surely-
come, it will not tarry." See to this purpose, Heb. x. 36, 37 :

481 THE RAINBOW OF THE COVENANT [sER.

" Ye have need of patience ; that after ye have done the will
of God ye might receive the promise. For yet a little while,
and he that shall come will come, and will not tarry."

Having thus taken hold of God's covenant, and entered
within the rainbow that is about the throne, come to-morrow
and get the seal of the covenant, for the confirmation of your
faith, that so you may with the greatest freedom intermeddle
with the goods contained in your Elder Brother's testament.
Although a man have a good right to an estate, yet perhaps
he may be loath to intermeddle till he get enfeoffment. Well,
sirs, having taken hold of the good charter, the covenant of
grace, I invite you to come and get enfeoffment upon the char-
ter to-morrow at God's table, where he invites all his friends
to eat and drink abundantly of the bread and wine that he has
mingled.

I shall conclude the whole of this discourse, by offering a
few marks by which you may try whether or not you have
really got within the bow of the covenant which surrounds
the throne. It is true, indeed, all the members of the visible
church, bear a relation to the covenant, " to them belong the
adoption and the covenants, and the promises ;" you are
externally in covenant by virtue of baptism, you are profes-
sedly covenanted people. But the question is, Are you really
within the covenant? have you by faith entered within the
rainbow that surrounds the throne ? The marks that I offer
shall be principally founded upon the context in this chapter.

1. Then, The Spirit of the great Covenant head that sits
upon the throne has entered into you, if you have entered
within the bow of this covenant, or seen the glory of him
that sits on the throne. We find here John was first in the
spirit, and then he saw the throne and the rainbow, and him
that sat on it. O sirs, I am persuaded that there was never
one brought within the bow of God's covenant, but will be
ready to own that it was he that brought them. " 1 will
cause them to pass under the rod, and I will bring them into
the bond of the covenant." The apostle Paul tells us, Phil.
iii. 12, that he was apprehended of Christ Jesus, before ever
he apprehended him ; so will it be with you, if you be brought
within the rainbow of God's covenant.

2. You will be much in admiring the throne, and the glory
of him that sits on it, who is here compared to a jasper and
sardine stcme. 1 told you in the explication of the words, that
this is Christ. O have you seen the glory of an exalted Christ ?
" All we with open face, beholding as in a glass the glory of
the Lord, are changed into the same image." If you have
" seen his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the
Father," you will be ready to say, " He is indeed white and
ruddy, fairer than the children of men,"

XV.] SURROUNDING THE THRONE OF GRACE. 485

3. If so, then you will take great pleasure in beholding the
rainbow that is about the throne, and rejoice in it as your se-
curity against the deluge of wrath, saying, with David,
" This is all my salvation, that he has made with me an ever-
lasting covenant, ordered in all things and sure:" you will be
delighted to think on the freedom of the covenant, the order
of the covenant, the sureness of the covenant;' and its eme-
rald colour, its perpetual greenness without any variation.

4. When you look to the rainbow of the covenant, it will
till you with 'expectation of good when you go to the throne
in prayer. The natural rainbow, as 1 said, is the forerunner
of a shower to the thirsty earth ; people expect it when they
see the bow in the clouds : so when you see the bow of the
covenant, it will give you good hopes of a shower of the
Spirit's influences, and that he will come to you " as the rain,
as the latter and former rain unto the earth." And truly,
sirs, one great reason why there are so many hopeless pray-
ers among us, is because we do not set the eye of faith on
the rainbow of the covenant.

5. If ever you was brought within the rainbow of the co-
venant, you have been stripped of your own " filthy rags,"
and clothed with the white raiment .of the righteousness of
the Son of God ; for they that are about the throne here are
said to be " clothed in white raiment," ver. 4. So then, I
ask, Have you been made to see all your own righteousness
to be " as filthy rags, as a merntruous cloth, as loss and dung,
that you may be found in Christ, not having your own right-
eousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the
faith of Christ?" Is the language of thy heart, " Surely in
the Lord have I righteousness: in \nmviUt I be justified, and
in him alone zvill /glory1?''

G. If you have been within the rainbow, brought within
the bow' of the covenant, you have had your heart and eyes
enlightened, and warmed with the seven lamps of fire before
the "throne, which are explained to be the Spirit with his
various influences, ver. 5. These are compared to lamps,
because of their enlightening efficacy ; and lamps of fire, be-
cause of their sanctifying, purifying, warming efficacy, on
the soul. Now, try yourselves by this ; if you be brought
within the bow of the covenant that is about the throne, the
Spirit has been in you a Spirit of wisdom and revelation, dis-
covering the things of God to you in a divine lustre: and,
like fire, they have purified you in some measure from the
dross of sin^ and made your heart to burn within you, like
the discip'es going to Emmaus ; and, like a lamp, they serve
to direct you in the way of truth and holiness; the voice o^
the Spirit is, " This is the way, walk ye in it."

41*

433 THE RAINBOW OF THE COVENANT [SER.

7. If you be brought within the rainbow of the covenant,
.you will be frequently bathing your polluted souls in " the sea

of glass, that is before the throne," spoken of in the 6th verse.
Interpreters think that there is an allusion here to the large
vessels in the temple and tabernacle, in which the priests
used to wash themselves before they offered sacrifices, called
" a sea of glass," because of the transparent purity of him
whose blood it was. They that are come to Jesus by faith,
the Mediator of the new covenant, they are also come to " the
blood of sprinkling," in order to the cleansing of their souls
from sin and from uncleanness. You will see a continual
reed of this blood to purify your persons and actions from
every thing that defiles.

8. If brought within the rainbow of the covenant, you will
be much taken up in celebrating the praises of God's holiness,
and adoring him upon this account; they that are about the
throne, ver. 8, cry, "Holy, holy, holy, Lord God almighty,
which was, and is, and is to come." Now, try yourselves
by this. Can you love God, adore, and celebrate his praises.
because of his unspotted holiness and purity, which cannot
behold iniquity without abhorrence? This J take to be one
of the sweetest and surest marks of a true believer and saint
which distinguishes him from all hypocrites in the world. A
hypocrite may come the length to love and adore the divine-
Majesty, because of his greatness, because of his goodness,
because of his mercy ; but I do not think that they can love
and praise him, because of his holiness, and hatred of sin.
No, this argues a seraphic and angelic spirit, for the angels
cover their faces, crying, " Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of
hosts," Is. vi. Now, is this the disposition of thy soul 1 Canst
thou say* with David, Psal. xxx. 4, '• Sing unto the Lord, O
ye saints of his, and give thanks at the remembrance of his
holiness V and Is. xii. at the close, '; Shout, O daughter of
Zion ; for great is the holy One of Israel in the midst of thee?"

9. You will equally adore, worship, and admire all the
three persons of the ever-blessed Trinity as one God. So do
they that, are about the throne: they cry, Holy Father, holy
Son, and Holy Spirit; and these are but one Lord God
almighty, which was, and is, and is to come. Faith takes up
God according to the revelation that he has made of himself,
considered personally or essentially, and it cannot endure
any thing that derogates from the glory of any of the blessed
three in one and one in three. You that are not stricken
with horror at the blasphemy that is uttered against the Son
of God this day in our church, as if he were only a sub-
ordinate deity, inferior to the Father, you were never yet
within the compass of the rainbow that goes about the throne
on which he sits; for they that have been there, they have

XV.] SURROUNDING THE THRONE OF GRACE. 487

seen him to be the same in substance, equal in power, and
glory with his eternal Father, to be the Lord God almighty,
as well as the Father, " the brightness of his glory, and the
express image of his person." And the concerns of his glory
will go nearer your heart than any private concerns of your
own, though your honour were laid in the dust.

10. Lastly, If ever you have been within the rainbow of
the covenant that surrounds the throne, then I am sure you
will be much concerned to have the crown pulled off the
head of self, and set upon the head of him that sits upon the
throne of grace : ver. 10, 11, they that are about the throne,
" cast their crowns before the throne, saying, Thou art wor-
thy, O Lord, to receive glory, and honour, and power." O
sirs, if ever you were brought within the rainbow of the
covenant of grace, you will not " sacrifice to your own net,
or burn incense to your own drag;" you will not attribute
any or the least part of your salvation to yourselves, to your
own holiness, goodness, diligence, frame, or anything else;
no, no, you will tread every thing under your feet, that dares
to usurp the room of Christ, and be ready to say, " Not unto
us, O Lord, not unto us, but unto thy name be the glory." O
he is the Lord my righteousness, he is the glory of my
strength, in his righteousness will I be exalted, and I resolve
to stand an eternal debtor to grace, grace reigning through
imputed righteousness unto eternal life, by Jesus Christ my
Lord. Worthy, worthy is he to wear the crown, to sit on
the throne, and to sway the sceptre for ever. O let King
Jesus arise, and let his enemies be scattered, and flee before
him.

SERMON XVI.

THE TREE OF LIFE SHAKING HIS FRUITS AND LEAVES AMONG THE

NATIONS.*

In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the
tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit
every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the na-
tions.— Ret. xxii. 2.

THE FIRST SERMON ON THIS TEXT.

I had occasion to discourse on the verse immediately
preceding, at a solemnity in the neighbourhood, about a year
ago ; at which time I endeavoured to make it evident, that

* Three discourses, preached at the celebration of the sacrament of the
^Lord's supper, at Dunfermline, July 12, 13, 14, 1729.

488 THE TREE OF LIFE SHAKING HIS FRUITS [SER.

this vision of the apostle John has an immediate respect to
the church militant, whatever farther accomplishment it may
have in the church triumphant in glory. By the " pure river
of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne
of God, and of the Lamb," we are' to understand that great
abundance of grace, that issues forth in a gospel dispensation
towards perishing sinners, from a God of grace " reconciling
the world to himself" in Christ, as is clear to any who shall
compare the 1st and 17th verse of this chapter together; they
having a close and inseparable connexion. In the 1st verse,
the river of water of life issues forth; and in the 17th verse,
there is a universal call and invitation given to all perishing
sinners to come and drink of it : " Whosoever will, let him
come, and drink of the water of life freely." Now, if the in-
vitation, ver. 17, be to the church militant, to come and drink
of the water of life, as. no doubt it is, then surely that river of
water of life, of which they are called to drink, must flow in
the church militant also.

This being established, it must needs follow, that the words
I have now read in the 2d verse, must have a respect to the
church militant also; especially if we consider the last clause
of the verse, where the leaves of the tree are said to be for
the healing of the natio?is. Now, in heaven there are not na-
tions in the plural number, but only one heavenly nation of
the first-born, and that nation does not need any healing ;
the inhabitants of that land of glory do not say we are sick,
being presented without spot or wrinkle, or any such thing;
and therefore it must be for the healing of the diseased na-
tions of this lower world that this tree of life is designed.

Now, this premised, I take up the words as a metaphorical
description of Christ, the Saviour of lost sinners, under the no-
tion of a tree. Where notice, (1.) The nature of this tree ;
he is the tree of life. (2.) The commodious situation of the
tree for the convenience of the city of God, the visible church
upon earth ; this tree of life is in the midst of the street of it, and
on either side of the river. (3.) The fertility of this tree of life ;
it bears twelve manner of fruits, and yields fruit every month.
(4.) The medicinal quality of the tree; the very leaves of it ore
for the healing of the nations. The explication of these parti-
culars I defer till 1 come to the prosecution of the following
doctrine, which I observe from them.

Doct. " That the Lord Jesus Christ is the fertile and medi-
cinal tree, planted by his Father in the city of the New Tes-
tament church, for the benefit of the starving and diseased
nations of the earth." The foundation of the doctrine is ob-
vious, from the general view that I have already given you
of the words, In the midst of the street of it, namely, of the new

XVI.] AND LEAVES AMONG THE NATIONS. 489

Jerusalem, that comes down out of heaven, which is the New
Testament church, and on each side of the river was there the
tree of life, &c.

Now, in prosecuting this doctrine, I shall just observe the
order already pointed at in the division of the words ; and,
through divine assistance, I shall,

I. Speak a little of this tree of life.

II. Speak of the situation of this tree in the city of God; it is
said to be in the midst of the street, and on each side of the river.

III. Of the fertility of this tree ; it bears twelve manner of
fruits, and yields fruit every month.

IV. Of the medicinal quality of the tree, and how its leaves
are for the healing of the nations.

V. Apply the whole ; or, if time do not allow, apply each
of the particulars as I go along them.

I. The first thing is, to speak a little of Christ, vnder the no-
tion of the tree of life. And here I shall, 1. Offer some remarks
concerning this blessed tree. 2. Show why it is called the tree
of life. 3. What that life is that springs out of this tree. 4.
The excellent qualities of that life that comes from this tree
to those who by faith eat of his fruit.

First, I would offer some general remarks concerning this
blessed tree here spoken of.

1. Then, I remark, that such metaphorical descriptions of
Christ are very common and familiar to the Spirit of God in
scripture. Sometimes he is called " a plant," and " a plant of
renown," by the prophet Ezekiel, chap, xxxiv. 29. Sometimes
he is called " a rod, and a branch springing out of the root of
Jesse," Is. xi. 1. Sometimes "a root springing out of a dry
ground," Is. liii. 2. Sometimes "a tree," Hos. xiv. 8: "I am
like a green fir tree ; from me is thy fruit found." Sometimes
under the notion of an apple tree, Cant. ii. 3 : " As the apple
tree among the trees of the wood, so is my beloved among
the sons." So here, in my text, he is held out under the no-
tion of a " tree ," and " the tree of life." Our blessed Lord,
while here upon earth, was a parabolical kind of preacher,
that is to say, he represented heavenly things by familiar si-
militudes ; and he continues the same strain of teaching, even
after he is exalted to glory ; he is so fond of making himself
known to the children of men, that he is content to compare
himself to any thing that may convey the knowledge of him-
self and of his grace to us.

2. I would have you to remark, that Christ is a tree of his ,
Father's planting : John xv. 1 : " I am the true vine, and my
Father is the husbandman." Now, when I speak of Christ's
being planted, it is only to be understood of him, as to his office,
as Immanuel, God-man or Mediator; for considered as to his

490 THE TREE OF LIFE SHAKING HIS FRUITS [SER.

divine nature, he is the same independent self existent God
with the Father : but, I say, viewing him as Mediator, he is
planted by his Father, as the great husbandman. He planted
him in his eternal decree, before ever he planted the heavens,
or laid the foundations of the earth, Prov. viii. He planted
him in his incarnation, by an actual manifestation in the flesh :
" A body," speaking of his incarnation, " hast thou prepared
me ;" he made him " of a woman, and of the seed of Abra-
ham, according to the flesh." He plants him declaratively
or doctrinally in the visible church: " I have placed salva-
tion in Zion for Israel my glory." He plants him spiritually
in the hearts of all the elect in a day of power ; at which time
Christ is formed and revealed in us, and we created in Christ Jesus.

3. This tree of life, in his first planting and budding, is
small, but his latter end doth greatly increase. How small
was his first appearance, in that promise, " The seed of the
woman shall bruise the head of the serpent ?" no more than
a bare hint of his incarnation, and sufferings, in the threaten-
ing denounced against the serpent. How small and incon-
siderable was he in the eyes of a blinded world, when he first
sprang up, in his actual incarnation, like " a root springing
out of a dry ground," without any form or comeliness'? "He
came unto his own, and his own received him not," John i.
11. And when he first begins to spring up in a land by a
gospel dispensation, men make so little account of him, that
they reckon his gospel foolishness and vain babbling. And
when he first sprouts up in a heart and soul, in a day of
power, his grace, his kingdom, is but like " a grain of mustard
seed," which can scarcely be discerned. But, I say, although
"his beginnings are small, yet his latter end doth greatly in-
crease." The preaching of the gospel of Christ by the apos-
tles, was at first like the scattering of " a handful of corn on
the tops of the mountains ; but the fruit thereof did shake like
Lebanon;" and his spiritual seed and progeny " shall flourish
like the grass," or be innumerable like the piles of grass, or
the " drops of dew from the womb of the morning." And,
howrever small his first blossomings in the heart be, yet they,
in whom he is formed by the Spirit, " shall flourish like the
palm tree, and grow like the cedars in Lebanon."

4. Notice that this tree of life, after he had flourished
awhile in this lower world, was cut down by the sword of
divine wrath and justice: Is. liii. 8: " He was cut off out of
the land of the living : for the transgression of my people was
he stricken." The Jews and Romans were but like the axe
in the hand of God for hewing down the tree of life ; for they
did nothing in killing the Prince of life, but what his hand
and his counsel had before determined to be done. And oh,
many a hack, many a heavy stroke and blow did this tree of

XVI.] AND LEAVES AMONG THE NATIONS. 491

life endure, before he fell down to the ground ; " he was
wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our ini-
quities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him." O
what a tremendous stroke did justice reach to the tree of life,
when he cried, " Awake, O sword, against the man that is
my fellow !" The very earth trembled, and the rocks were
rent, with the weight of the stroke that was laid upon him for
our sins.

5. Although this tree of life was cut down unto death bv
the hand of justice, yet death could not long keep his do-
minion over the tree of life ; it was not possible that the bands
of death, or the bars of the grave could detain him. No, no;
three days after he was hewed down, this tree did spring up
more tall and glorious than ever. He was, indeed, cut off
out of the land of the living, and delivered to death for our
offences, but he rose again for our justification, and was " de-
clared to be the Son of God with power, according to the
spirit of holiness, by his resurrection from the dead." Our
hope of the inheritance did spring up with this tree of life,
when he sprang up again out of the grave: 1 Pet. i. 3, 4:
" Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
which according to his abundant mercy, hath begotten us
again unto a lively hope, by the resurrection of Jesus Christ
from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible, undented, and
that fadeth not away." Our hope and strength had for ever
perished, if this tree of life had perished in death.

6. I remark concerning this tree of life, that he does now
in his exalted state overtop and excel all the trees of the
wood; having drunk of the brook in the way, he has now
lifted up his head: hence is that commendation of the spouse,
Cant. ii. 3: "As Hie apple tree among the trees of the wood,
so is my beloved among the sons;" he infinitely excels them
all, he is fairer, infinitely fairer " than the children of men ;"
yea, he overtops and excels all the angels in heaven, " he
has by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they:
he is far exalted above all principality, and power, and might,
and dominion, and every name that can be named, whether
in this world, or that which is to come."

7. I remark, that this tree of life, though he be now exalt-
ed far above the heavens, yet his branches bow and bend
down to the earth in the dispensation of the word ; so that
we need not climb or scale heaven to bring him down from
above: " The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in
thy heart, even the word of faith which we preach." Where-
ver the gospel is preached, wherever the table of the Lord
is covered, there the loaded branches of the tree of life are as
it were bowed down to your very hand, so as you may sit

492 THE TREE OF LIFE SHAKING HIS FRUITS [SER.

down under his shadow by faith, and taste of his excellent
fruit. But this will fall in to be spoken of on the second
branch of the doctrine. So much for the general remarks
respecting this tree.

Secondly, 1 come to show why he is called, by way of
eminence, the tree of life. In general, then, I conceive, he is
called the tree of life, with allusion to the tree, called by that
name, that grew in the earthly Paradise, which it is thought
by divines was the sacrament of the covenant of works, which,
if Adam had eaten of, after his continuance in his integrity
for some time, he would have been thereby confirmed and
established in a state of perfect holiness and happiness. And
on this account this tree, in the midst of the earthly Paradise,
is made use of here as a type or shadow of Christ, of whom
if a man once eat, or partake by a true faith, he is secured
for ever against the curse, delivered from condemnation, and
hath an everlasting name in the family of heaven, which shall
never be cut off. But, more particularly, Christ is called the
tree of life.

1. Because he is the original and fountain cause of our life,
both spiritual and eternal. Thy soul, believer, had never
fetched one spiritual breathing after God, had not Christ
breathed the breath of life in thee: it is "the spirit of life,
which is in Christ Jesus, entering into the dead soul by means
of the word read or preached, that " makes us free from the
law of sin and death."

2. He is the material cause of our life. It is the very life
of Jesus that is in the soul of the believer: Gal. ii. 20: "1
live," says Paid; "yet not I, but Christ liveth in me." Christ
formed in the heart, by the power of the eternal Spirit, is the
very internal principle of the believer's life; for Christ is in
them, and they are in him : so that as it is the life of the head
that is iii all the members, so it is the life of Jesus that is in
all believers.

3. He is called the tree of life, because he is the purchaser
of our life; and so he is the meritorious cause of life. It was
by the death, or down-hewing of the tree of life, that life is
bought for a lost world; hence his death is called a ransom,
and eternal life is called a purchased inheritance.

4. He is the preserving cause of our life ; he maintains
and holds our souls in life, by continual supplies and commu-
nications. When the soul is in a languishing condition, he
restores it, as David speaks, Psal. xxiii. 3. He "strengthens
the things which remain, that are ready to die." When the
soul is just like the withered corn, when the rain of heaven is
withheld, he is as the dew to it ; he comes down as the rain,
and thereupon they revive as the corn, and grow as the vine.

XVI.] AND LEAVES AMONG THE NATIONS. 493

5. He is the final cause of our life. As he is the original,
so he is the end of our life : " For none of us liveth to him-
self, and no man dieth to himself. For whether we live, we
live unto the Lord; and whether we die, we die unto the
Lord: whether we live therefore, or die, we are the Lord's,"
Rom. xiv. 7, 8.'

Thirdly, I come to tell you what sort of life springs out of
this tree of life. Answ. There is a fourfold life to be found in
Christ, the blessed tree of life.

1. There is a life of justification, in opposition to legal death.
Every man by nature is dead in the eye of the law; just
like a malefactor under sentence of death; though he be not
actually executed, yet we reckon him a dead man, because he
is dead in the eye of the law, the judge having passed sentence
against him, and the day of his execution approaching. This
is it which every sinner who is out of Christ is under; he is
under the law as a covenant, and therefore a dead man in
law, the law hath already condemned him, for the law says
to every sinner, " The soul that sinneth shall die." Now, so
soon as ever the poor sinner comes under the shadow of the
tree of life, or by faith tastes of the fruit of this tree, this sen-
tence of the law is repealed and cancelled, by virtue of the
imputation of the everlasting righteousness of the Son of God
as our Surety ; so that the man begins to live even before
God as the righteous Judge and Lawgiver, he being vested
with that righteousness by which the law is magnified and
made honourable. God allows the poor soul to count and
reckon upon this, Rom. vi. 11: "As Christ died and rose
again ; so likewise reckon ye yourselves to be dead indeed
unto sin; but alive unto God through Jesus Christ." The
believer, by virtue of the righteousness of Christ, is so much
alive unto God, that he dare say with the apostle, "Who
shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect ? It is God
that justifieth: who is he that condemneth ?" &c.

2. In Christ, the blessed tree of life, there is to be found a
life of sanctification or of holiness. This is the fruit and
consequence of the former. A legal death inevitably brings
on a spiritual death under the power of sin, for, " the strength
of sin is the law." The law slays us and puts out our spi-
ritual life, because of the violation of it. And, on the other
hand, a life of justification, inevitably brings with it a life of
sanctification or holiness, which lies in the soul's freedom from
the dominion and filth of sin: so that the man now having an
inward principle of life, begins to yield obedience to the law,
not as a covenant, seeking life by it, but as a rule of obedi-
ence, that he may " show forth the praises of him who hath
called him out of darkness into his marvellous light." And

vol. i. 42

494 THE TREE OF LIFE SHAKING HIS FRUITS [sER.

this life of sanctification he has from Christ, the tree of life:
"I am like a green fir tree," says he; "from me is thy fruit
found, — Abide in me, and I in you; so shall ye bring forth
much fruit." All the fruits of righteousness and holiness are
by Jesus Christ.

3. By this tree of life we live a life of consolation or com-
fort ; for he is " the consolation of Israel. — With joy shall ye
draw water out of the wells of salvation." The spouse " sat
down under his shadow with great delight, and his fruit was
sweet to her taste." By eating the fruit of this tree, David
declares his soul was " satisfied, as with marrow and fatness;"
so that he blessed God with joyful lips. Whenever the poor
soul tastes of the fruit of this tree, an air of heavenly joy ap-
pears in the countenance; the man lays aside his sackcloth,
and girds himself with gladness, and is filled with a "joy un-
speakable and full of glory." This life of consolation is just
up or down, according to the fruit or lively exercise of faith,
or according to the coming or going of the Lord ; whenever
Christ appears, the soul revives and laughs like the fields after
a pleasant shower and warm blink.

4. There is a life of glory grows out of the tree of life; for
"this is the record that God hath given to us eternal life: and
this life is in his Son. And he that hath the Son hath life;
and he that believeth in the Son of God, hath everlasting
life;" he hath the earnest, and the security of it here, and he
shall have the full possession of it in heaven for ever hereaf-
ter. Thus, you see what life springs out of the tree of life.

Fourthly, I shall only add a few properties or qualities of
this life that springs out of the tree of life.

1. Then, it is a divine life, it is "the life of God in the soul."
A good man is called a godly man, and a wicked man is
called godless: why, what think you is the reason of these
opposite denominations? The reason of them is, because the
godly man has something of the life of God, but a godless
man is destitute of the life of God; the expression is scriptu-
ral, Eph. iv. 18, the wicked are said to be "alienated from
the life of God, through the ignorance that is in them." It is
a divine life; divine in its original, divine in its nature and
tendency, and divine in its end; it is a living and a walking
with God, as it is said of Enoch. Whenever a man has tasted
of the fruit of this tree of life, he can never after it abide out
of God's company.

2. The life that comes out of the tree of life to the soul, is,
of all others, the most excellent life. There is a threefold
life in every man. There is a vegetable life, which he has
in common with trees, plants, and other things that spring
out of the earth: there is a sensitive life, that he has in com-

XVI.] AND LEAVES AMONG THE NATIONS. 495

mon with the beasts of the earth, the fowls of the air, and the
fishes of the sea, which all have a life of sense: he has a ra-
tional life, by which he is distinguished from the inferior
creatures; and this is common to all men. But the believer
is "more excellent than his neighbour," for he has a more
excellent life than they, even a life which is "hid with Christ
in God : He that hath the Son hath life :" and he hath such a
life as the rest of the world are strangers to.

3. It is' a royal and a princely life that we have from the
tree of life; for all believers, who are branches of this tree,
are "made kings and priests unto God." No sooner is the
soul ingrafted or united to him, but he begins to live like a
king, above the world, looking on this dunghill with disdain.

4. It is a heavenly life; it comes from heaven, where the
fountain of our life is, and it is ever tending heaven-ward :
" Our conversation is in heaven, from whence we look for
the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ." The believer "desires
a better country," and his eye is on the land afar off. He
"looks not at the things which are seen, but at the things
which are not seen."

5. It is a growing life; for "the path of the just is as the
shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect
day. Those that be planted in the house of the Lord, flourish
in the courts of our God, flourish like the palm tree, and grow
like a cedar in Lebanon." This life is always growing, till
it " come to the measure of the stature of the fulness of
Christ."

6. It is an immortal, durable, and everlasting life. When
the life of the body ends, this life is so far from ending, that
it is then consummated and perfected. It is a life that shall
run parallel with the life of God for duration. This much
for the first thing in the text and method, which was to speak
a little of this tree of life.

II. The second thing in the method was, to " speak of the
situation of this tree in the city of God ;" it is said to be in
the midst of the street, and on each side of the river. For the
illustration of this clause of the text, there are these few par-
ticulars that I would observe: —

1. That the city spoken of, is none other than the church
of God. I proved in the entry, that whatever respect there
may be had to the church triumphant in glory, yet, to me, it
is clear, that, in the first place, and immediately, it is to be
understood of the church militant here upon earth, which is
frequently in scripture called a city, Psal. lxxxvii. 3 : " Glo-
rious things are spoken of thee, O city of God." Psal. lxxii.
16: "The city shall be flourishing, and her citizens shall
abound;" which is spoken with a view to the New Testament

496 THE TREE OF LIFE SHAKING HIS FRUITS [SER.

church. And all believers, while yet upon earth, are said to
be actually come to mount Zion, and to the heavenly Jerusa-
lem: and the new Jerusalem, described in the preceding chap-
ter, is said, verse 10, to " descend from God out of heaven;"
because all believers, who are the only true citizens, are born
from above, and are entered into the kingdom of God. She
is a city for habitation, Psal. cvii. 7: "He led them forth by
the right way, that they might go to a city of habitation ;" a
city of traffic, here the commodities of heaven are exposed
to sale, and that at a low rate, " without money and without
price," Is. lv. 1 ; a city for strength, walled about with salva-
tion, Is. xxvi. 1 : " We have a strong city, salvation will God
appoint for walls and bulwarks;" a city for refuge, a city for
immunities, a city for beauty and compactness; a royal city,
for there the great King hath his residence, " The Lord hath
chosen Zion : he hath desired it for his habitation. This is
my rest for ever: here will I dwell, for I have desired it,"
Psal. cxxxii. 13, 14.

2. I remark here, that this city has streets in it ; for the
tree of life is said to be in the midst of the street of the city ;
where, by the street, I understand the ordinances of divine
appointment, especially those of a public nature. Cant. iii. 2, -
the spouse there, when she could not find her Lord in more
private retirements, enters upon a resolution to arise, and go
through " the streets and broad ways " of the city of God, to
see if she could find "him whom her soul loved;" where, by
the streets and broad ways, it is agreed by interpreters, the
public ordinances of divine worship are to be understood.
And, Prov. viii. 1, wisdom is said "to cry in the streets;"
that is, in the public ordinances of worship; which are so
called, because, as the street of a city is the place where the
inhabitants gather together in concourse, so these ordinances
are the public concourse of the church of God, "whither the
tribes of the Lord go up, to worship at his footstool." And
in these streets and broad ways of ordinances, the inhabitants
of the city of God have sweet fellowship and communion
with the Lord. _

3. Notice here, that there is a river, which is said to run
through the midst of the city, and in the streets of it, accord-
ing to what we have, Psal. xlvi. 4: "There is a river, the
streams whereof do make glad the city of God." This is the
very same river spoken of in the preceding verse, which is
said to " proceed from the throne of God and of the Lamb."
When I insisted upon that verse, I showed that this river is
nothing else than the Spirit of the Lord, even that Spirit
wrhich is said to be "poured upon the house of David, and
the inhabitants of Jerusalem," Zech, xii, 10, "The glorious

XVI.] AND LEAVES AMONG THE NATIONS. 497

Lord," by his Spirit and the communication of his grace,
" shall be unto her as a place of broad rivers and streams,"
Is. xxxiii. 21 : "I will pour water upon him that is thirsty,
and floods upon the dry ground," Is. xliv. 3. By this river,
the whole city of God, all true believers, are refreshed, sup-
plied, fructified, cleansed, and quickened. But,

4. Another thing that we may remark here, is, that Christ,
the tree of life, is on each side of the river, and in the midst of
the street of it. And here again I conceive there are these
things that seem to be pointed at.

1st, That a living Redeemer, though he be in heaven ex-
alted at " the right hand of the Majesty on high," and though
the heavens are to contain him till his second coming; yet still
he is to be found by his people upon earth ; yea, he is in every
part of his church; for here the tree of life is in the ■midst of
the street, and one ach side of the river: that is, wherever be-
lievers (the true church of God) arc, or whatever be their si-
tuation, while in a militant state, Christ is ever to be found ; the
boughs of the tree stretch themselves out to them wherever
they are, though it were to the " uttermost wings of the earth,"
as the expression is, Is. xxiv. 1G. O, what unspeakable com-
fort is it, that wherever the body is, there the glorious head
of the body is ! " Lo, I am with you alway, even unto the
end of the world." And, " In all places where I record my
name, I will come unto you, and I will bless you." And,
"Where two or three are gathered together in my name,
there am I in the midst of them."

2dly, The expression takes in, that Christ is the centre, and,
as it were, the very heart of his church and people; for he is
here said to be in the midst of the city: as the heart is in the
midst of the body, so Christ is in the midst of his church.
" God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved: God
shall help her, and that right early," Psal. xlvi. 5. Christ is
the centre of the church's life: " Our life is hid with Christ
in God :" he holds our souls in life. He is the centre of light,
as the sun in the firmament is to this lower world: "I am the
light of the world." He is the centre of comfort: therefore
called "the consolation of Israel:" he gives " the oil of joy for
mourning." He is the centre of love and desire, "the desire
of all nations." "The desire of our soul is to thy name, and
to the remembrance of thee." The centre of faith; every
one of the inhabitants of the city of God have their eyes
fixed upon him; they "look unto him, and are saved." "Our
eyes are towards the Lord our God." He is the centre of
union; they all "hold him as the head, from which the whole
body, as by joints and bands, having nourishment ministered,
and knit together, increase with the increase of God. There

42*

498 THE TREE OF LIFE SHAKING HIS FRUITS [SER.

is a great cry for peace, peace, and many politic endeavours
to keep the peace and unity of the church, but it is impossible
that we can be one, unless it be in the Lord. He is the centre
of doctrine; "to him bear all the prophets witness," and to
him bear all the apostles witness; and every truth of the word
points to him; there is not a word in the Bible but it points
toward Christ, as the needle in the compass points to the
pole-star. He is the centre of worship; the prayers and
praises of all believers terminate in him ; they all cry, " Wor-
thy is the Lamb that was slain."

3dly, Christ, the tree of life, being in the midst of the street,
says, that Christ is a common and public good to the church,
that he is set up for the benefit of all the inhabitants. This
tree of life does not grow in a corner, or in any enclosed
place, where only some particular persons may enter, but in
the public street, in the market-place, where every body has
free access to him. It is remarkably to the same purpose,
what the spouse says concerning Christ, Cant. ii. 3, she does
not say, that her beloved was as the apple tree among the
trees of the garden, which is an enclosure; but, he is "the
apple tree among the trees of the wood," which every pas-
senger may pluck, and eat, and use with freedom. As every
man in the camp of Israel had the privilege of looking to the
brazen serpent that was set up in the camp; so every man
within the visible church has equal access to Christ, the tree
of life, for he is " in the midst of the street of it." O sirs, do
not doubt of your warrant to come to Christ, since he is in
the midst of our streets, accessible from all quarters of the
city. Christ is equally tendered to all in a preached gospel;
he is every man's penny-worth, who will but take him, apply
him, and lay claim to him. As every subject in Britain may
say of our present sovereign, He is my king, because he is
set as a public good to the whole body politic ; and as every
soldier of an army may say of the principal commander, He
is my general, in a way of application, and have recourse to
him as such; and as every soldier may lay claim to the phy-
sician of a regiment, and say, He is my physician, because
of the relation he stands under to the whole company: so
Christ, being the common Saviour of sinners, the prophet,
priest, and king of his church by office, every one may, in a
way of particular application, claim the benefit of him in his
saving offices, and say, in a way of believing, He is my Sa-
viour, my prophet, priest, and king, for he is "a Son given,
and Child born unto us ; he is made of God unto us wisdom,
righteousness, sanctification, and redemption;" and whatever
he is as Mediator, that he is to us ; he is " in the midst of the
street of the city."

XVI.] AND LEAVES AMONG THE NATIONS. 499

Athly, It implies that they who would find Christ must seek
him in the streets and broad ways of gospel ordinances ; for
here the tree of life is said to be in the midst of the street, in
the public ordinances of the church, such as preaching of the
word, and administration of sacraments. O sirs, it is " in his
temple that every one is made to speak of his glory," Psal.
xxix. 9. It is there he causes his name to be recorded ; and
there it is he has promised to come to his people, and bless
them, Exod. xx. 24. And, therefore, they that turn their
back on public ordinances, are out of the way of coming to
the tree of life. I own, indeed, that the Lord will sometimes
meet with a sinner going on in the broad way to destruction,
as he did with Paul going to Damascus; but when he does
so, he steps out of his ordinary road of doing, for his ordinary
way of convincing, converting, and healing souls, is in his
sanctuary. We read of one (Paul) converted in the way to
Damascus, but we read of three thousand added to the
church when attending upon the word preached by Peter,
Acts ii. 41. So, I say, they who would find Christ, the tree
of life, must come to the streets and broad ways of ordi-
nances, as the spouse did. Many a sweet meeting have be-
lievers had with the Lord there: I hope some here can seal
it from their experience.

hthly, The expression implies, that Christ is to be met with,
not only in the public ordinances of the church, but that sweet
fellowship with him is to be had also in the more private and
secret retirements of the Lord's people; for here the tree of
life is not only in the street, but on each side of the river,
through all parts of the city. When employed in family
prayer, in secret prayer, secret meditation, private or secret
reading of the word, Christian converse, and the like; many
a sweet communion with the Lord does the believer enjoy in
these. O, says David, "When I remember thee upon my
bed, and meditate on thee in the night watches, my soul shall
be satisfied as with marrow and fatness." The hearts of the
disciples going to Emmaus, were made to " burn while they
talked together by the way."

Qthly, It implies that the influences of the Spirit are abso-
lutely necessary, in order to the sweetening of ordinances,
aad conveying the fruit of a Redeemer's purchase to them in
the use of ordinances: for here the pure river of the water
of life intermingles itself in the streets of the city, with the
spreading boughs and branches of the tree. Unless the river
of the Spirit's influence come along with word and sacra-
ment, "taking the things of Christ, and showing them" to us,
we shall find them to be but " dry beasts and miscarrying
wombs;" and therefore there is need of a continual depen«

500 THE TREE OF LIFE SHAKING HIS FRUITS [sER.

dence on the Lord for the concurring influences of the Spirit
of life: "Paul may plant, and Apollos water; but God giveth
the increase." And, therefore, pray that the river of the
water of life may run down from the throne of God, and of
the Lamb, in the streets of the city of God, and that the tree
of life may be seen on each side, on every hand, bearing his
twelve manner of fruits.

Ithly, It is implied here, that Christ is the ornament of his
church and people; for the tree of life is here spoken of as
the ornament of the city in the midst of its streets. Christ is
"the glory of his people Israel; and in him shall all the seed
of Israel be justified, and shall glory." He reflects a beauty
and glory on the church collectively considered ; his presence
in the streets of it makes her " beautiful as Tirzah, comely as
Jerusalem, fair as the moon, clear as the sun, and terrible as
an army with banners." And he is the beauty and ornament
of every particular believer in the church; every one of them
is beautiful through the comeliness that he puts upon them;
it is by his merits upon them, and his Spirit within them,
that they become, like the king's daughter, " all glorious
within, their clothing being of wrought gold." He it is that
makes them " like the wings of a dove covered with silver,
and her feathers with yellow gold."

Sthly, It is implied here, that the whole city, and every one
of its inhabitants, dwell or abide under the shadow of the
tree; for the tree is on every side, and in the midst of the
street. I remember the spouse, speaking of this tree of life,
says, "I sat down under his shadow with great delight,"
namely, the shadow of his blood and everlasting righteous-
ness, under the shadow of his faithfulness engaged in his
promise, under the shadow of his providence. O happy they,
who by faith sit down under this shadowy tree. This is the
place where Christ makes his flock to rest in the noon of
temptation, affliction, desertion, and tribulation. Thus I have
given you the import of that expression, which points out the
situation of the tree of life; it is on either side of the rive?',
and in the midst of the street of it.

XVI.] AND LEAVES AMONG THE NATIONS. 501

THE TREE OF LIFE, SHAKING HIS FRUITS AND LEAVES
AMONG THE NATIONS.

In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the
tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every
month : and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. —
Rev. xxn. 2.

THE SECOND SERMON ON THIS TEXT.

I gave you this general or comprehensive doctrine from
the words, That our Lord Jesus Christ is a medicinal and
fertile tree, planted by his Father in the city of the New Tes-
tament church, for the feeding and healing of the diseased
and starving nations of the world.

In the prosecution of this doctrine, I promised,

I. To speak a little of this tree of life.

II. Of the situation of this tree in the city of God.

III. Of the fertility of this tree.

IV. Of the medicinal quality of the tree.

V. Apply the whole.

I have already spoken to the first and second thing. I
come now to

III. The third thing in the method, which was, to speak a
little of the fertility or fruit fulness of this tree of life; it bears
twelve manner of fruits, and yields fruit every month. Other
trees bear fruit only once a year, and they yield but one
manner of fruit; but this tree of life bears twelve manner of
fruits every month. The plain meaning of it is, that Christ
brings forth all manner of fruits, and that in Christ all sorts
of blessings are conveyed to the children of men, and these
are to be found at all times; this tree of life is never empty
or barren; whenever the soul applies itself to him in a way
of believing, it will still find the branches of the tree loaded,
ripe, and ready for use.

Now, for clearing this branch of the text, I shall, 1. Con-
descend upon some of the fruits that grow upon this tree of
life. 2. Tell you of some of the months wherein he yields
his fruit to the souls of believers.

First, I would condescend upon some of the fruits of the
tree of life. There are only four clusters of his fruits that I
would present you with ; these are, the fruits of his death, of
his resurrection, of his ascension, and of his intercession.

1. Let us take a view, and not only a view, but a tasting

502 THE TREE OF LIFE SHAKING HIS FRUITS [SER.

of the fruits of his death. I only present you with these few :
O they are sweet to the taste of faith !

1st, It is by his death that an angry God is atoned and re-
conciled. Immediately after the fall, the wrath of God began
to break out like fire against sinful man : but by the death of
Jesus, the anger of God is taken away, and diverted into
another channel, Rom. v. 10; Is. xii. 1: "Though thou wast
angry with me, thine anger is turned away, and thou com-
fortedst me." Is. liii. 5: "He was wounded for our trans-
gressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the, chastisement
of our peace was upon him, and with his stripes we are
healed." Col. i. 20, 21: "Having made peace through the
blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto him-
self, by him, I say, whether they be things on earth, or things
in heaven. And you that were some time alienated, and ene-
mies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he re-
conciled."

2dly, The debt-bond that justice had against us is torn;
the hand-writing that was contrary to us is cancelled, Col.
ii. 14: "he nailed it to his cross," that it might not be valid;
the curse of a broken law is abolished ; so that " now there
is no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who
walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit."

3dly, Everlasting righteousness is brought in when it was
quite out of the world : " When the Messiah shall be cut off,
says the prophet Daniel, " he shall bring in everlasting right-
eousness. Christ condemned sin in the flesh," or by the sacri-
fice of his flesh, " that the righteousness of the law might be
fulfilled in us." So that he is become "the Lord our right-
eousness."

4thly, By his death the covenant is confirmed with many,
Dan. ix. 27. Christ confirmed the covenant of grace with
his blood, as the public head and representative of all that
were given to him by his Father; hence his blood is called
"the blood of the covenant, or of the new testament." It is
a confirmed security on which we may rest ; confirmed, I
say, by the Testator's death.

bthly, By the cutting down of the tree of life, the head of
the old serpent that deceived us is bruised, and the power of
death wrested out of his hand ; " through death he destroyed
him that had the power of death, that is, the devil."

Qthly, By the cutting down of this tree of life, the grave is
sweetened and perfumed.

2. Let us view some of the fruits of this tree of life, in his
resurrection, when he sprang out of the grave.

1st, The quickening and raising up of the soul that was
dead in sin, is a fruit of the resurrection of the tree of life.

XVII.] AND LEAVES AMONG THE NATIONS. 503

This the apostle applies to the resurrection, Col. ii. 12, 13:
"Buried with him in baptism, wherein also you are risen
with him, through the faith of the operation of God, who
hath raised him from the dead. And you being dead in
your sins, hath he quickened together with him." There is a
special energy in the resurrection of Christ, by which we are
raised up unto newness of life ; hence the apostle desires more
and more to "know the power of his resurrection," Phil. iii.
10. Hence is that saying of the church, Hos. vi. 2: "After
two days will he revive us, in the third day he will raise us
up, and we shall live in his sight."

2dly, Another fruit of his resurrection, is the discharging
of our debt that we were owing to divine justice. Sin is a
debt; now Christ paid the debt in his death, and was dis-
charged of it in his resurrection; hence the apostle tells us,
that he "died for our offences, and rose again for our justifi-
cation." The prison of the grave was opened by an order
from Heaven — an angel rolled away the stone from the door
of the sepulchre; which plainly shows, that the debt was paid
and the great Judge fully satisfied. "He was taken from
prison and from judgment." And faith acted on a risen
Christ, may challenge the whole world to lay any thing to
its charge: Rom. viii. 33: "Who shall lay any thing to the
charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth: who is he
that condemneth 1 It is Christ that died ; yea, rather, that is
risen again."

3dly, Another fruit of the tree of life in his resurrection, is
the reviving of our hopes of recovering the lost inheritance:
1 Pet. i. 3, 4: "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord
Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy, hath
begotten us again unto a lively hope, by the resurrection of
Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible,
and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in Heaven
for you."

4thly, Our victory over sin and death is secured. Every
believer viewing a living Christ may say, "O death, where
is thy sting?" Yea, by his resurrection our resurrection at
the last day is secured.

3. Let us view and taste of the fruits of his ascension to
heaven. As,

1st, The leading captivity captive: Eph. iv. 8: "Wherefore,
when he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive," car-
ried the spoils of sin, Satan, death, and hell, along with him
in triumph.

2dly, The conferring of ministerial gifts upon men, yea,
the very office of the ministry, and ordinances of the gospel,
for the edification of his mystical body, Eph. iv. 8. Our

504 THE TREE OF LIFE SHAKING HIS FRUITS [SER.

standing here, and preaching the gospel to you, and adminis-
tering the sacrament, is a fruit of Christ's being in heaven.

3dly, The down-pouring of the Spirit in a more plentiful
measure than under the Old Testament dispensation. Of this
Christ himself speaks, John xvi. 7: "Nevertheless, I tell you
the truth ; It is expedient for you that I go away : for if I go*
not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I
depart, I will send him unto you." This he did to supply the
want of his bodily presence.

4thly, The preparing of heavenly mansions for us, where
we may be with him for ever, is a fruit of the exaltation of
Christ : John xiv. 3 : " I go to prepare a place for you ; but I
will come again, and receive you unto myself, that where I
am, there ye may be also." Like a man, when he has mar-
ried a wife, provides a house for her against the day of mar-
riage; so Christ, having purchased a church, a spouse for
himself, goes to heaven to provide her a dwelling; and, in-
deed, it is a dwelling suitable to so great a King, " a house
not made with hands, eternal in the heavens." Yea, his entry
into heaven is a pledge and earnest, an assurance, as it were,
that we shall follow him in due time; for he is entered as the
forerunner of his church, Heb. vi. 19, not only for our benefit,
but in our stead. The head being above, the body shall
follow.

4. Let us view and taste the fruits of his intercession,
which are great, glorious, and lovely.

1st, Freedom from, and strength against temptation, is a
fruit of his intercession in heaven: Luke xxii. 31, 32: "Simon,
Simon, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you
as wheat; but I have prayed," or interceded, "for thee, that
thy faith fail not." He is privy to all the gins, traps, or
snares, that Satan is preparing for his friends upon earth;
and he, by the power and prevalency of his intercession,
breaks the snare, so that they "escape as a bird out of the
snare of the fowler."

2dly, Boldness and confidence toward God, and accept-
ance at his throne, is a fruit of his intercession: Heb. iv. 16:
"Let us, therefore, come boldly unto the throne of grace, that
we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of
need." Heb. x. 19 — 22. We durst not look toward the
throne of God, if it were not the throne of the Lamb also.

3dly, Through Christ's intercession we have a ready an-
swer to all challenges and accusations that are brought in
against us from any quarter whatsoever. The law pursues,
justice pursues, conscience pursues, for the debt of sin; but
faith, eyeing the intercession of Christ, can lift up its head in
court, and say, "Who can lay any thing to my charge? It

XVI.] AND LEAVES AMONG THE NATIONS. 505

is God that justifieth : who is he that condemneth? It is
Christ that died, yea, rather, that is risen again, who is
even at the right hand of God, who also maketh interces-
sion for us."

4t/ily, The assurance of the effectual application of all the
benefits of his purchase, and legacies of his testament, is a
fruit of his intercession: for "seeing he lives for ever to make
intercession," he will surely take care that the purchase of
his blood be not lost, and that the legacies of his testament
shall not be null and void; now he is his own executor, lives
to see his latter will made good. And what is his latter
will? It is just this: "I will be their God: I will be merciful
to all their unrighteousness: I will lead the blind in a way
they know not," &c.

bthly, The hearing of our prayers, the acceptance of our
persons and weak services, is another fruit of his intercession.
O sirs, our prayers would never go farther than our lips, if
it were not for the intercession of Jesus, Rev. viii. 3, 4 : "And
another angel came and stood at the altar, having a golden
censer; and there was given unto him much incense, that he
should offer it with the prayers of all saints upon the golden
altar, which was before the throne. And the smoke of the
incense which came with the prayers of the saints, ascended
up before God, out of the angel's hand." The ascending of
the incense out of the angel's hand before God, notes the
complacency that God takes in the service and obedience'of
his saints through Christ, &c.

Now, put all these together, and see if the tree of life be
not a fertile tree; he brings forth twelve manner of fruits;
that is, many good fruits, a certain number being put for air
uncertain.

Having given you an account of his twelve manner of
fruits, I proceed,

Secondly, To notice some of the "months" in which he
yields fruit to the souls of his people. You see here, that the
tree of life yields fruit every month, that is, at all times of the
year. Other trees yield their fruit only every year; but
here is a tree that yields its fruit every month of the year ;
there is not a moment of time in which ripe and ready fruit
is not to be had for the hand and mouth of faith. And
there are some of them summer, and some of them winter
months.

1. I say, there are some of them summer-months.

1st, then, There is the spring-month, or time of conversion,
or effectual calling ; the tree of life yields fruit then to the
soul. In this month the tree of life drops in life into the
dead soul : then it is that the poor soul of the believer begins

vol. i. 43

506 THE TREE OF LIFE SHAKING HIS FRUITS [SER.

first to drink in the sap of the true olive, and to taste of his
fruit; then it is that the tree of life yields the fruit of a re-
newed nature to the soul: "A new heart will I give them,
and a new spirit will I put within them," the fruit of the di-
vine image and stamp, a partaker of the divine nature.

2d!y, There is the pleasant summer-month of manifesta-
tions and discoveries of the divine glory of the Lord's coun-
tenance. This is called " the time of the singing of birds."
" They shall sing in the ways of the Lord.; for great is the
glory of the Lord," Psal. cxxxviii. 5. "All we with open
face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are
changed into the same image, from glory to glory, even as
by the Spirit of the Lord."

3dlij, There is the pleasant and sweet summer-month of
access to God in duties and ordinances. Then he opens the
door to them, and brings them into the chamber of presence :
"He brought me into the banquetting-house, and his banner
over me was love." " Truly our fellowship is with the Father,
and with his Son Jesus Christ." " My soul is filled as with
marrow and fatness."

Attiiy, There is the pleasant month or season of remarkable
deliverances that the Lord works for his people, either from
spiritual or temporal enemies. The believer feeds so upon
the tree of life then, that he cannot but chirp and sing with
the church, Is. xii. 2: "Behold, God is my salvation: I will
trust, and not be afraid ; for the Lord Jehovah is my strength
and my song; he also is become my salvation. Therefore
with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation."
And Exod. xv. 1, 2: "Then sang Moses and the children of
Israel this song unto the Lord, and spake, saying, I will sing
unto the Lord, for he hath triumphed gloriously; the horse
and his rider hath he thrown into the sea. The Lord is my
strength and song, and he is become my salvation: he is my
God, and I will prepare him a habitation; my father's God,
and I will exalt him."

bthly, There is the pleasant month of the renewed or lively
-actings of faith upon the Lord Jesus Christ, or on the cove-
nant and promises. This is a pleasant month, in which the
soul is filled with peace and joy ; by eating the fruit of the
tree of life, we are said to be "filled with joy unspeakable,
and full of glory."

Qthly, There is the month of a lively love to the lovely
Jesus. This is a pleasant summer-month, in which the soul
feeds liberally on the fruit of the tree of life. When the poor
believer gets this and the other promise, and is helped to press
with the "hand, and suck with the mouth of faith these honey-
combs of salvation, oh, how then are the affections of the

XVI.] AND LEAVES AMONG THE NATIONS. 507

soul drawn out after the Lord ! The man cries then, with
the church, " The desire of our soul is to thy name, and to
the remembrance of thee;" and, with David, " Whom have I
in heaven but thee? and there is none upon earth that I de-
sire besides thee."

2. As there are summer, so there are winter months, in
which the tree of life yields his fruit.

1st, There is the sharp-piercing winter-month of convic-
tion, reproofs, and challenges from the Lord, when he chal-
lenges for the abuse of mercies, for untenderness of walk, for
unkindness to him, "Is this thy kindness to thy friend?" In
this month the tree of life yields the fruit of repentance,
"They shall look upon him whom they have pierced, and
mourn. — He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious
seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing." It is in this
month that sin is imbittered to the soul, and the man is
brought farther off the law, and made to flee to the right-
eousness of the Son of God.

2dly, There is the dark and weary winter-month of deser-
tion, when the believer goes "mourning without the sun,
crying, O that I knew where I might find him ! Behold, I
go forward, but he is not there ; and backward, but I cannot
perceive him: on the left hand where he doth work, but I
cannot behold him: he hideth himself on the right hand, that
I cannot see him." Even then the tree of life brings forth
fruit by his Spirit in his branches; for hereby they are made
more tender, more holy, and more circumspect; hereby they
are taught what "an evil and a bitter thing" sin is, that
separates between them and their God; hereby the believer
is taught the way of living more by faith on the stock in
Christ's hand, than upon the grace they have got in their
own hand.

3dly, There is the weary winter-month of the prevalency
of indwelling corruption, when the soul is crying, "Iniquities
prevail against me: O wretched man that I am, who shall
deliver me from the body of this death!" Oh! does the tree
of life yield any manner of fruit to the soul then? Answ. Yes,
for then it is that the soul is filled with self-loathing and ab-
horrence, with Job, and taught more and more the lesson of
self-denial, and to flee to the blood of sprinkling for the de-
struction of the body of sin.

4thly, There is the heartless winter-month of deadness, dul-
ness, and barrenness. This is another melancholy, weary
month; but yet in this month the tree of life brings forth his
fruit in the soul, and teaches it that its life is not in itself, but
in the Lord: "We are dead, but our life is hid with Christ in

508 THE TREE OF LIFE SHAKING HIS FRUITS [SER.

God. When Christ who is our life shall appear, then shall
we also appear with him in glory."

5thly, There is the stormy month of inward and outward
trouble, like two seas meeting together, the soul "afflicted,
tossed with tempest;" but yet, even then, he is "laying the
stones with fair colours, and the foundations with sapphires,"
weaning the soul from this world, and " making it meet to be
a partaker of the inheritance of the saints in light."

Gthty, There is the melancholy and gloomy month of death,
in which the shadows of the evening stretch themselves out;
the poor soul is held " in bondage through fear of death."
Well, even in this month the tree of life bears fruit, which is
an antidote against the terrors of death and the grave : by
tasting his fruit, the believer can look death in the face, and
sing, " O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy
victory?" he hath said, " O death, I will be thy plagues; O
grave, I will be thy destruction. Yea, though I walk through
the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil : for thou
art with me, thy rod and thy staff they comfort me." ,

THE TREE OF LIFE, SHAKING HIS FRUITS AND LEAVES
AMONG THE NATIONS.

In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the
tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every
month : and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. —
Rev. xxii. 2.

the third sermon on this text.

I gave you this general or comprehensive doctrine from
the words, That the Lord Jesus Christ is a medicinal and
fertile tree, planted by his Father in the city of the Neiv Tes-
tament church, for the benefit of the starving and diseased
nations of the earth.

I. I spoke a little of this tree of life.

II. Of the situation of this tree in the city of God ; it is said
to be in the midst of the street, and on each side of the river.

III. Of the fertility of this tree ; it bears twelve manner of
fruits, and yields fruit every month. I come now to,

IV. The fourth thing in the method, which was, to speak
of the medicinal quality of the tree of life ; his very leaves, are
for the healing of the nations.

Now, if time would allow, I might here show, 1. Whom

XVI.] AND LEAVES AMONG THE NATIONS. 509

are we to understand by the nations ? 2. What are the dis-
eases of the nations? 3. What are these leaves of the tree,
that are for the healing of the nations ? 4. How does it ap-
pear that these leaves are ordained for the healing of the
nations ? I can only glance at these particulars.

First, Whom are we to understand by the nations? I an-
swer in a word, By the nations we are to understand all that
ever sprung of Adam, every creature endued with a reason-
able soul, whether of Jew or Gentile. " Go," says Christ,
" and preach the . gospel to every creature," without excep-
tion, " Go and teach all nations," &c. Go, and tell them,
that I, who am the tree of life, am ordained for their use,
and there is fruit enough in me, and life enough in me, for t
every one of them. He is ordained a Saviour for lost sinners.
Although I am not for universal redemption, I am for a uni-
versal Saviour in the offer of the gospel : " God so loved the
world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever
belie veth in him, should not perish, but have everlasting life."
But I conceive, that here, in a particular manner, the poor
Gentile nations are intended, as contradistinguished from the
Jews : I say, they, or rather we of the Gentile nations, are
in a particular manner intended, because now, under the
New Testament dispensation, Christ and the blessings of his
gospel are no more confined to the Jews ; no, the boundary
is broken down, the veil of ceremonies, and partition-wall of
the Mosaic testimony, is rent and pulled down ; so that " life
and immortality are brought to light" to us, as well as to
them. The poor Gentiles for some thousands of years were
excluded like aliens and foreigners from the commonwealth
of Israel ; and they, when hearing of Christ, the tree of life,
might be ready to say, O can we have any benefit by the
tree of life ? O yes (says the Lord,) here my Christ, my
anointed Redeemer, is given for a light to enlighten the
Gentiles, and for salvation to all the ends of the earth; Ms
leaves are for the healing of the nations.

Secondly, What diseases do the nations labour under, which
make them need the healing leaves of this blessed tree to be
brought unto then ? Answer in general, ever^ince the fall
of Adam, the whole nations of the earth have been just like
a great hospital of diseased persons overrun with a loathsome
leprosy. " The whole head is sick, and the whole heart
faint : from the sole of the foot even unto the head, there is
no soundness in them ; but wounds, and bruises, and putrefy-
ing sores." And if you still ask me, what is to be understood
by the diseases of the nations? Ansu\ In a word, it is just
the disease of a depraved nature, venting itself in all manner
of sin and wickedness. See an account given by the apostle

43*

510 THE TREE OF LIFE SHAKING HIS FRUITS [sER.

of the maladies of the Gentile nations before the revelation of
Christ, Eph. ii. 1—3; 1 Cor. vi. 9—11; Rom. i. 21, 22, &c,

to the close of the chapter. So, then, you see from these
scriptures, that the disease of the nations is just original sin,
venting itself in all manner of actual transgressions. O sirs,
sin has distempered and disordered all the powers of our
soul, and all the members of our body ; it has blinded the
mind, hardened the heart, stupified the conscience, weakened
the memory, depraved the affections, turned them quite away
from God, scattering them among the vanities of time; it has
separated us from the Lord, filled us with enmity, ignorance,
pride, hypocrisy, malice, and every evil. In a word, it has
brought death upon us ; pale death is upon the nations, and
every man sprung of Adam by nature through sin: "By one
man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so
death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned.

Thirdly, What are we to understand by the leaves that
are for the healing of the nations ? Ansu\ The expression
imports, that every thing in Christ is useful and beneficial.
The leaves of a tree are reckoned the most unprofitable thing
in or about it. Well, but there is nothing in or about Christ,
the tree of life, that can be wanted, even these things which
carnal and corrupt reason makes little or no account of: his
person, his natures, his offices, his appearances, his birth, life,
death, resurrection, ascension, and intercession ; every thing
in him or about him is useful and profitable to the perishing
soul, when viewed in the light of the word and Spirit by the
eye of faith. But I conceive, that by the leaves of the tree,
which have a healing virtue upon the nations, we are in a
particular manner to understand the doctrines, promises, his-
tories of his holy word, by which the knowledge of Christ,
and faith in Christ, is wrought among the nations of the
earth: Psal. cvii. 20: "He sent forth his word, and healed
them." The word, accompanied with the power of the Holy
Ghost, is "the power of God unto salvation," Rom. i. 16. By
the power of his word he created the world, and gave being
to man upon earth; and by the power of his word of truth
in the gospel, he " creates a new heaven, and a new earth,
wherein dwelleth righteousness." By the word of the gospel
he worms out and consumes the devil's kingdom in the world,
and in the hearts of sinners; by this weapon, which is "not
carnal, but mighty through God, he casts down strong-holds
and high imaginations, that exalt themselves against the
knowledge of God, and brings every thought into captivity
to the obedience of Christ." By the preaching of the ever-
lasting gospel, in the ministry of the apostles, the nations
were healed of their idolatries, superstitions, errors, and other

XVI.] AND LEAVES AMONG THE NATIONS. 511

abominations; as we see in Ephesus, where they were wholly
addicted to idolatry, worshipping the goddess Diana, Acts
xix. 27.

Thus, you see what are these leaves of the tree of life that
are for the healing of the nations, even the truths of the glo-
rious and everlasting gospel, scattered among the nations by
the ministry of the word.

Fourthly, How does it appear that this tree, and the leaves
of it, are for the healing of the nations?

Answ. 1. It appears from scripture prophecy. Jacob upon
his death-bed foretold, that the gathering of the nations should
be unto the blessed Shiloh. So, likewise, in Is. xi. 10, we
have a prophecy to the same purpose: "And in that day
there shall be a root of Jesse, which shall stand for an ensign
of the people; to it shall the Gentiles seek, and his rest shall
be glorious. It was prophesied that the gospel-trumpet should
be blown, not only in the land of Judah, but in the other na-
tions under the New Testament: Is. xxvii. 13: "And it shall
come to pass in that day, that the great trumpet shall be
blown, and they shall come which were ready to perish in
the land of Assyria, and the outcasts in the land of Egypt,
and shall worship the Lord in the holy mount at Jerusalem."
What else is this but the scattering of the healing leaves of
gospel-truths among the nations?

2. It appears from scripture-promises, particularly the pro-
mises made to Abraham: "In thee," that is, "in thy seed,"
namely, in Christ, " shall all the nations of the earth be
blessed." Psal. lxxii. 17: "His name shall endure for ever:
his name shall be continued as long as the sun : and men shall
be blessed in him ; all nations shall call him blessed." It was
promised that he should be a " light to lighten the Gentiles,
and his salvation unto all the ends of the earth."

3. It appears from the commission given to the apostles of
Christ, after his resurrection, Matth. xxviii. 19: "Go ye, and
teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father,
and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost." Mark xvi. 15: "Go
ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every crea-
ture." So, Acts i. 8 : " Ye shall be witnesses unto me, both
in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the
uttermost part of the earth."

4. It appears from the obedience that the apostles of Christ
yielded to this commission. They acted according to the
instruction they received from their great Lord. It is true,
indeed, the apostles for awhile were in the dark respecting
the extent of the gospel-offer to the Gentiles, until Peter's vi-
sion of the beasts, clean and unclean ; but after that they
preached the gospel, without any distinction, to Jew and Gen-

512 THE TREE OF LIFE SHAKING HIS FRUITS [sER.

tile, offering Christ, and preaching his healing salutary truths,
to every man and woman, without any difference of " barba-
rian, Scythian, bond or free."

5. It is evident, from the actual healing of many among
the Gentile nations, by the leaves of this blessed tree. Rev.
vii. 4, we read of " a hundred and forty and four thousand
sealed (or healed) among the tribes of Israel;" but, verse 9,
among the rest of the nations, " a great multitude, which no
man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people,
and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb,
clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands; crying,
with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth
upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever." —
Now, from all these it is abundantly clear, that the leaves of
the tree of life are ordained and designed for the healing of
the nations.

V. The fifth thing in the method is the application. And
the first use shall be in a few inferences from the whole.

1. Then, from what has been said about this tree of life,
we may see that Paradise is again opened and regained for
us by the second Adam, to great advantage. You know,
immediately upon the fall of Adam he was turned out of Pa-
radise, and "Cherubims, with a flaming sword, turned every
way, to keep the way of the tree of life," Gen. iii. But here,
in my text, Paradise is opened, the tree of life is declared ac-
cessible, his fruit being ordained for the feeding, and his leaves
for the healing of the nations. In a word, " life and immorta-
lity are brought to light through Christ" to lost sinners, who
were shut out and banished from the presence of God. And
if you should ask me, How comes this about? the answer is,
That Christ, as the second Adam, by his blood quenched the
flaming sword of justice, the flames of Godrs anger are
quenched through the satisfying blood of Jesus, and, there-
upon God casts open the gates of Paradise, he opens a "new
and a living way" to glory.

2. See what a glorious and excellent society the church of
God is, even the church militant, which is but a faint emblem
of what the church triumphant will be. But I say, even the
church militant is a happy place; why, you see here that she
is the garden of God, there grows the tree of life, with his
twelve manner of fruits, yielding fruit every month ; there the
tree of life shakes and drops his fruit; there his leaves are to
be found for the healing of the nations; there flows "the pure
river of water of life, which makes glad the city of God." It
is said of the earthly Paradise, Gen. ii. 10, that "a river went
out of Eden to water the garden, and parted into four streams.*
Well, here is a far better river, even " the water of life," and

XVI.] AND LEAVES AMONG THE NATIONS. 513

the various streams of the influences of the Holy Ghost. And
then, in the description of the earthly Paradise, we are told
that gold was there, and that the gold was good, and there
was bdellium, and the onyx-stone. This is much more true
of the church of God: there is gold tried in the fire, gold far
better than the gold of Ophir. O, what a happy and privi-
leged place is the church of God! "Glorious things are
spoken of thee, O city of God. Beautiful for situation, the
joy of the whole earth is mount Zion : out of her the perfec-
tion of beauty, God, hath shined ; he is known in her palaces
for a refuge."

3. See, hence, what a glorious, excellent, sufficient, and
suitable Saviour Christ is; he is the tree of life, the fountain
of life, in whom all our well-springs are? "As the Father
hath life in himself, so hath he given to the Son, as Mediator,
to have life in himself." He has twelve manner of fruits,
suited to the various necessities of lost sinners, ready for use
at all times, and in all cases : " In him dwelleth all the fulness
of the Godhead bodily:" and whatever be our soul-diseases,
there is a suitable remedy for us in him: " his leaves are for
the healing of the nations." So that, I say, Christ is a suita-
ble and sufficient Saviour; " such a high Priest became us,"
he is excellently calculated to our necessity: whatever hurt
or prejudice we sustained by eating of the forbidden fruit,
there is now a suitable antidote provided in this blessed tree
of life.

4. See what excellent persons believers are. Why, they
are the branches and twigs of the tree of life: "I am the
vine, ye are the branches :" and all the branches derive their
excellency, moisture, and fruit from the root upon which they
grow. O, happy they, who, by the Spirit and faith, are cut
off from the root of the first Adam, and ingrafted into him,
joined to the Lord, and one Spirit with him ! Hence believers
are called " trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord,
that he might be glorified."

5. See, hence, the excellency of the gospel, which makes
a discovery of the tree of life, and brings his fruit and leaves
to the nations of the earth. O blessed are the people that
know this joyful sound by the gospel, the " mystery which was
hid from ages and generations" is revealed. What a happi-
ness is it that our lot is cast in a day and time of the world,
in which the paradise of God is opened, and the tree of life
discovered by the gospel to the poor Gentiles, who, for so
many ages and generations, were " aliens to the common-
wealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise."

6. See, from what has been said, the necessity and excel-
lency of the grace of faith. Why, the tree of life, though it

514 THE TREE OF LIFE SHAKING HIS FRUITS [sER.

be growing in the midst of our streets, yet cannot be discerned
without faith. Faith is the eye of the soul that looks to him,
and discerns him ; faith is the mouth of the soul that eats fruit,
it is the hand of the soul that takes of his healing leaves, and
applies him for curing the diseases of the soul. In a word,
without faith we can reap no benefit by Christ. O, sirs, pray
for the faith of God's operation, for that faith which is wrought
by the word and Spirit of God.

7. See, hence, the necessity of the Spirit, in order to the
application of Christ; for the river waters the whole city, and
conveys the fruits of the tree of life; "he shall testify of me,
he shall receive of mine, and shall show it unto you." O,
pray much for the Spirit, plead the promise, "I will pour wa-
ter upon him that is thirsty, and floods upon the dry ground :
I will pour my Spirit upon thy seed, and my blessing upon
thine offspring."

8. See, hence, how inexcusable unbelief is, and how justly
they perish, who remain in unbelief within the bosom of the
visible church where Christ is preached. Why, they have
the remedy at hand, suited to their soul's necessity, and yet
despise it: the way to the tree of life is opened, yea, the tree
of life is on each side of the river, and in the midst of the
street, as it were, reaching out his feeding fruit and healing
leaves unto them, pursuing them with the offers of his grace
and love ; and yet " they will not come unto him for life."
O, sirs, consider it for the Lord's sake : " How shall we
escape, if we neglect so great a salvation?"

The second use of this doctrine shall be by way of trial
and examination. Sirs, you have been in the streets and
broad ways of the city of God, of the New Testament church,
where the tree of life grows and flourishes ; I mean, you have
been attending upon the ordinances of divine appointment,
where Christ is to be met with ; and, therefore, I ask, What
knowledge or acquaintance have you with the tree of life 1
More particularly,

1. Allow me to ask, Has the life of the tree of life ever en-
tered into thy soul? The life of Jesus is the life of the be-
liever: "I live: yet not I, but Christ liveth in me." And if
you have any thing of the life of the tree of life in you, you
will never content yourselves with an empty profession, un-
less you be fruitful like the tree of life ; there are no barren
branches growing upon this tree of life; no, no, your fruit
will be unto holiness, you will breathe after the holiness of
the Head, likeness to him in all his imitable perfections. The
little holiness that is among professors at this day, is a sad
evidence, that there are but few of us that were ever ingrafted
into this blessed tree of life. If you have life from the tree

XVI.] AND LEAVES AMONG THE NATIONS. 515

of life, you will be careful to maintain that life you have got
in and from him. Nature has a liking to every thing that
tends to preserve life; so will it be with you, you will delight
in the lively oracles and ordinances; "one day in his courts
will be better than a thousand ;" sin, which is hurtful to your
life, will be a heavy burden, you will avoid it as prejudicial
to your life.

2. I ask you for trial, Have you been overshadowed with
the spreading branches of this tree of life? for, as you heard,
the tree of life extends its branches to every corner of the
city. Now, can you say, with the spouse, Cant. ii. 3, " I sat
down under his shadow with great delight?" When thy soul
was like to be scorched with the fire of God's wrath, with
the fire of affliction, or with the fiery darts of Satan, or the
fire of an awakened conscience, what was it that afforded
thee ease and relief? were thine eyes opened to behold the
tree of life, and wast thou determined by faith to shelter thy
perishing soul under the shadow of his obedience unto the
death, under the shadow of his intercession, under the sha-
dow of his faithfulness engaged in the word of promise?
Didst thou take up Christ, the tree of life, " as a hiding-place
from the storm, and a covert from the tempest?" and did thy
soul flee for refuge unto him, renouncing all other refuges as
lying refuges, saying, "O this is my rest, here will I dwell:
in the Lord have I righteousness and strength," and here
will I shelter.

3. I ask, Whether any of the streams of the river, which
run under and among the branches of this tree of life, have
flowed in upon thy soul ? My meaning is, Has the Spirit of
Christ entered into thy soul ? " I will put my spirit within
them," saith the Lord. And if so, the Spirit will be in you
as " a well of water springing up into everlasting life." The
Spirit of Jesus in the soul, is like a living well, having a spring
at the bottom whereby it is supplied with water, and this
living spring within thee will be bullering up some good thing
or other; for "a good man out of the good treasure of his
heart, bringeth forth good things." Hence, David, Psal. xlv.
1, says, " My heart indites, or boils, a good matter;" and
then it follows, "My tongue is as the pen of a ready writer."
The Spirit of the Lord within thee will be casting up good
things of Christ; so that you will be ready to say, " My me-
ditation of him shall be sweet;" some actings of faith, love,
repentance, hope, and the like: and these will boil up into
good words and actions ; so that your tongue will plead his
cause, and lend in a word for the Lord, and your hands will
be ready to work for him, and your feet to run his errands:

516 THE TREE OF LIFE SHAKING HIS FRUITS [SER.

" I will run the way of thy commandments, when thou shalt
enlarge my heart." Psal. cxix. 32.

4. I ask, What think ye of the fruits of the tree of life 1
for, as you heard, he bears twelve manner of fruit, and yields

fruit every month. Can you say, with the spouse, that you
not only "sat down under his shadow with great delight, but
his fruit was sweet to your taste ? " and so sweet, that you
could not but cry out to your fellow Christians, and say, " O
taste and see that the Lord is good : Come and hear, all ye
that fear God, and I will declare what he hath done for my
soul? " There is such a sweetness in the fruits of his incar-
nation, obedience, death, resurrection, and ascension, that,
when it is tasted by the mouth of faith, it goes down sweetly
through all the powers of the soul, like new wine, and "makes
the lips of them that are asleep to speak." You, who go to
a communion table, to word, sacraments, and prayer, and
yet never taste of the fruit of the tree of life, you are just like
the Egyptian mummies, which are just the bodies of the dead
embalmed, which they would keep for four or five hundred
years beside them: they brought these embalmed bodies of
their ancestors to their table, set them upon their chairs, when
at meat. These are a lively emblem of some professors of
religion; they sit at the table like others, they keep their seat,
but they never eat of the fruit of the tree of life by faith; and
" except ye eat the flesh ' of the Son of man, and drink his
blood, ye have no life in you." O, sirs, will you tell me, is
Christ your daily food? Is his flesh good cheer? Is his
blood like cooling water to refresh you ? Is thy daily exer-
cise to pluck and eat the fruits of his death, resurrection, and
intercession 1

5. What healing or medicinal virtue have you found in the
leaves of the tree, which are for the healing of the nations?
I told you, that by the leaves of the tree of life, I understand
his heal ng word; "He sent forth his word, and healed
them ;" because, as the fruits of a tree lie among the leaves,
so Christ, and all the fruits of his obedience unto death, and
of his resurrection and ascension, are wrapped up in his word
of grace and truth in this gospel. Now, then, I ask, What
leaves have you gathered and applied on this or other occa-
sions? Can you say, "He sent forth his word, and healed
me?" such a word came home with power upon my soul,
which was like health and marrow to my bones. I was dead
and dull, and lifeless, but he sent forth such a word and
quickened me. I was wrapped about with darkness, but he
sent forth his word, and "the entrance of his word gave light
unto me." I was bewildered in point of duty, but his word

XVI.] AND LEAVES AMONG THE NATIONS. 517

came and directed me, so that it was like a pillar of cloud *
and fire, to tell me how to direct my steps; he caused me to
" hear a voice behind me, saying, This is the way, walk ye
in it." I was straitened in spirit, so that I could not hear,
read, pray, meditate, or communicate; but O he sent forth
such a leaf, such a word, and then " my soul was enlarged to
run the way of his commandments." My heart was like to
sink with sorrow and heaviness, but he sent forth his word
and exhilarated me ; " God hath spoken in his holiness ; I
will rejoice." Thus, I say, see what healing virtue you have
found coming in by the leaves of the tree of life into thy soul.
6. When you get leave by faith to feed upon his fruit, and
to apply his leaves, you will just think yourselves in Paradise,
yea, in a better Paradise than Adam was in, when in the gar-
den of Eden. O it will be the very pleasure of your life, and
the joy of your heart, to be viewing the pleasant tree of life,
and to be rejoicing, now and then plucking of his fruit in the
streets or ordinances of his appointment : we are " filled with
joy and peace in believing. — Whom having not seen, we love ;
in whom, though now we see him not, yet believing, we re-
joice with joy unspeakable, and full of glory." David found
such pleasure in viewing this tree of life by faith, that it
was the one thing that he " desired, to behold the beauty of the
Lord, and to inquire in his temple; yea, one day in his courts
was to him better than a thousand : he chose rather to be a
door-keeper in the house of the Lord, than to dwell in the
tents of wickedness."

The third use of this doctrine shall be of Exhortation.
First, To all in general. O sirs, will you come to the tree
of life, for the gates of Paradise are opened again. " Ho,
every one that thirsteth, come, and he that hath no money,
let him come ; and whosoever will, let him come, and take of
the fruit of the tree of life freely." O dead sinners, will you
come to Christ; for he is the tree of life: and this is God's re-
cord to you, " that he hath given to us eternal life: and this
life is in his Son." O starving sinners, come and eat freely
and liberally of the fruit of the tree of life, for he bears twelve
manner of fruits, and yields his fruit every month ; he has fruit
enough and to spare. O diseased sinners, that are pining
away in your iniquities, come to the tree of life and be healed,
for his leaves are for the healing of the nations. O sinners, who
are scorched and burnt up with the heat of divine wrath, or
with the fire of an awakened conscience, come and shelter
yourselves under the spreading boughs of the tree of life; sit
down under his shadow ; for he is " a shadow from the heat ,
and a hiding-place from the storm."

Motive 1. Consider what life is to be had by coming to this
vol. J. 44

518 THE TREE OF LIFE SHAKING HIS FRUITS [SER.

tree of life ; a life of justification, sanctification, consolation,
and of eternal glory ; a divine life, a royal life, a heavenly
life, a growing life, an immortal life ; all which I spoke of in
the doctrinal part.

Mot. 2. Consider what an excellent defence thou shalt find
under the shadow of this tree. Here thou shalt find a de-
fence, (1.) Against the wrath of an angry God, who is a con-
suming fire. Our Jesus " saves from the wrath to come." —
God declares fury is not in him against any soul that will
come under the shadow of his righteousness. (2.) Here thou
wilt find shelter against the rage of Satan. The devil must
take away the life of the tree of life, he must cut him down
again, and pluck off his leaves, before he can win at the soul
that is under his shadow. (3.) From the fury of men ; he
says, John xvi. 33, " In me ye shall have peace. In the world
ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer, I have over-
come the world."

Mot. 3. Consider the excellent qualities of the fruit of the
tree of life. (1.) It is pleasant fruit, sweet to the taste, Cant,
ii. 3. None of the trees of Paradise yielded fruit like that
which grows in the midst of the New Testament Paradise.
(2.) It is profitable fruit; it "cheereth the heart of God and
man." God smelt a sweet savour in his death, and "he is
well pleased for his righteousness' sake :" and it cheers the
heart of the believer who eats of it, puts more gladness in his
heart, than the wicked can have in the greatest abundance
of their corn and wine. (3.) It is plentiful fruit. Come and
eat thy fill, even to satiety ; nothing will be missed, the tree
is loaded. (4.) There is variety of fruits in this tree. Some
fruit trees hear plenty of one kind of fruit ; but here is the
excellency of this tree, that it has twelve manner of fruits,
fruits of all sorts, adapted to the necessity of the soul. (5.)
The fruits of the tree of life are permanent and perennial, al-
ways continuing; for it brings forth fruit every month, every
season. (6.) It is nourishing fruit. By the fruit of this tree,
the soul is made to grow, and " go from strength to strength,
until it appear before the Lord in Zion."

Mot. 4. Take a view of the leaves of the tree, and let this
invite you to come to it in a way of believing. They are for
the healing of the nations. What is thy disease, O sinner?
Be it what it will, thou shalt find a leaf of this tree for thy
healing. (1.) Art thou a blind sinner? Well, here is a leaf
of the tree suited to thy disease, Psal. cxlvi. 8: "The Lord
openeth the eyes of the blind." Rev. iii. 18: "I counsel thee
to buy of me eye-salve, that thou mayest see." (2.) Art thou
deaf, that thou canst not hear the voice of God in his word or
rod? Well, here is a leaf of the tree of life for healing thy

XVI.] AND LEAVES AMONG THE NATIONS. 519

disease, Is. xxxv. 5 : "The ears of the deaf shall be unstopped."
John v. 25: " The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead
shall hear the voice of the Son of God ; and they that hear
shall live." (3.) Art thou a lame sinner, who cannot walk
in the Lord's way ? Here is a leaf for thee ; Is. xxxv. 6 :
" Then shall the lame man leap as a hart :" then, namely,
when the gospel shall be preached among the nations for their
healing. (4.) Art thou a dumb sinner, that thou canst not
speak a word in the matters of God, cannot pray, nor praise?
Well, here is a leaf for thy disease, Is. xxxv. 6 : " The tongue
of the dumb shall sing." Art thou a hard-hearted sinner ? is
this thy disease that thou findest thy heart like an adamant
in thy breast? Well, there is a leaf for thee, Ezek. xxxvi. 26:
" A new heart will I give you, and a new spirit will I put
within you ; and I will take away the stony heart out of your
flesh, and I will give you a heart of flesh." Hast thou a foul
polluted conscience in thy breast, that is defiled with the
guilt of sin? Well, here is a leaf for thee, Ezek. xxxvi. 25:
" I will sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean:
from all your filthiness, and from all your idols will I cleanse
you." Zech. xiii. 1 : "In that day there shall be a fountain
opened to the house of David, and to the inhabitants of Je-
rusalem, for sin, and for uncleanness." 1 John i. 7 : " The
blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin." Is
prevailing corruption, atheism, unbelief, enmity, thy disease?
Well, here is a leaf for thee, Mic. vii. 19: " 1 will subdue your
iniquities." Rom. vi. 14 : " Sin shall not have dominion over
you ; for ye are not under the law, but under grace." Is thy
soul, like the mountains of Gilboa, dry, withered like the
ground for want of rain ? Here is a leaf for thee, Is. xliv. 3:
" I will pour water upon him that is thirsty, and floods upon
the dry ground." Art thou troubled with a restlessness of
spirit, that thou canst find no rest in any thing ? Here is
a leaf for thee, Is. xi. 10:-" To him shall the Gentiles seek,
and his rest shall be glorious." Matth. xi. 28: "Come unto
me, all ye that labour, and are heavy laden, and I will give
you rest." Art thou troubled with a fainting of thy spirit in
the Lord's way ? Well, here is a leaf for thee, Is. xl. 29: " He
giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might,
he increaseth strength." Thus you see that in the tree of
life there is a leaf for every disease.

■Mot. 5. Consider, that as the tree of life is calculated to thy
necessity, so it is ordained for thy use, and for the use of every
sinner that will make use of it by faith, John iii. 14 — 16. He
is given to us, Is. ix. 6: " Unto us a son is given." Whatever
he is as Mediator, that he is to us. Is he a saviour ? it is to
them that are lost. Is he a prophet? It is to teach the igno-

520 THE TREE OF LIFE SHAKING HIS FRUITS [SER.

rant. Is he a priest ? a priest is ordained for men. Is he a
king? it is that he may conquer and captivate, rule and go-
vern us. Is he a physician? it is that he may heal the dis-
eased. Is he a shepherd ? it is that he may feed us in his
pasture. Is he a door? it is that we may enter by him unto
God. Is he a foundation? it is that we may build upon him.
Is he meat? it is that we may feed on him. Is he drink? it
is for the poor soul that is in want of salvation, as a thirsty
man is in want of water. Thus, whatever he is as Mediator,
that he is to us : " he is made of God unto us wisdom, righte-
ousness, sanctification and redemption."

Mot. 6. Consider, that this tree is accessible ; for he is in
the midst of the street. And though highly exalted, and lifted
up above the heavens, yet his boughs stoop and bend down
to the very ground, that the hand of faith may reach his
fruits and leaves, Rom. x. 6 — 8. Yea, not only does he bend
his boughs, to make his fruit and his leaves accessible ; but
he shakes and drops his fruit to you in "the valley of vision,"
and makes it to fall about our tent-doors, just as he did the
manna about the tents of Israel. O then put forth the hand
of faith and gather.

Mot. 7. You are not only invited, but commanded to eat
the fruit, and apply the leaves of the tree by faith. This is
the very work of God which he requires of you, " This is his
commandment, that we should believe on the name of his
Son Jesus Christ." There is a call, that every one that hears
of Christ should make use of him ; and if you do not comply,
you disobey the great God, in the greatest command that ever
he issued out to men ; it is not left optional ; no, concluded
you are under a law to take the fruits of this tree.

Mot. 8. You will die except you eat of the fruit of the tree
of life: John viii. 24: "If ye believe not that I am he, ye
shall die in your sins," and so perish for ever : " He that be-
lieveth not is condemned already." Stand to your hazard,
then. But if you believe, ye shall be saved : " Whosoever be-
liveth in him, shall not perish, but have everlasting life."
The fruits and leaves of this tree of life are an antidote
against the hurt we sustained by our first parents eating of
the forbidden fruit, whereby they and all their posterity were
ruined.

Thus, 1 have endeavoured to open the way to the tree of
life. What more shall I say ? I have endeavoured, even in
the motives, to answer the objections of unbelief. I shall
conclude this exhortation, by offering a word by way of ad-
vice. If you would reap the saving benefit of the tree of
life,

1. Be convinced of the absolute need you stand in of Christ,

XVI.] AND LEAVES AMONG THE NATIONS. 521

and his saving fruits. And for this end, think seriously how
you are dead, and killed, and slain, by eating the forbidden
fruit in your first parents ; and how, for the breach of the
first covenant, you are shut out of the presence of God.
What a heavy heart had Adam when he was banished out
of the earthly Paradise, and the flaming sword brandished
in his view? O what would he have given to have had ac-
cess to eat of the tree of life ! Now, this is thy case, O sin-
ner ; thou art an exile, the sword of justice is flaming over
thy head.

2. Be convinced that life is to be had by making use of
Christ, the tree of life, by eating of his fruit, and applying of
his leaves. And, to convince you of it, you have the record
of God for it, the witness of a Trinity : " This life is in his
Son ; and he that hath the Son, hath life."

3. Be well convinced of your warrant to make use of him.
And, for this end, think on the command of believing, and
the offers, calls, and invitations of the word, and the promises
of welcome.

4. Clasp the arms of your souls about the tree of life, and
resolve to hang about him for your very life, saying, " If I
perish, I perish." But, may you say, lam faraway from the
tree of life, I cannot get him clasped, or his fruit plucked ;
therefore I give you,

5. A. fifth advice, Will you look to the tree of life, and he
will drop salvation into thy soul in looking to him : Is. xlv.
22: "Look unto me, and be ye saved. — They looked unto
him, and were lightened." But, say you, I cannot see.

6. If you cannot look, will you cry to the tree of life, and
seek him, for, "their souls shall live that seek the Lord. This
poor man cried, and the Lord heard him." Bartimeus cried,
and he heard him ; the poor woman cried, " Lord, help me,"
and he heard her.

7. If you cannot cry, will you long for a tasting of his fruit,
for a healing leaf, for some communications of Christ to your
soul ; " for he satisfieth the longing soul, and filleth the hungry
soul with goodness.

8. I long, and am not satisfied. Ansto. " Ye have need of
patience;" wait and long, and long and wait, on the Lord;
" for the Lord is a God of judgment ; blessed are all they that
wait for him : he is good unto them that wait for him, to the
soul that seeketh him." Wait on him continually; in the end
ye shall not be ashamed.

A second word of exhortation, is to you who are believers,
who have by faith really applied and made use of the tree
of life.

1. O rejoice, and be glad in the Lord, that you have re-

44*

522 THE TREE OF LIFE SHAKING HIS FRUITS [SER.

gained Paradise again, and that you have not been slain by
the cherubim with the flaming sword; yea that, having
tasted of the tree of life, and got under his shadow, you are
beyond the reach of death, and justice, and the curse. You
see it follows my text, " And there shall be no more curse :"
no cursing law-penalty any more to them that are come to
Christ the tree of life : " There is no condemnation to them
which are in Christ Jesus :" no, no ; " Christ hath redeemed
us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us."
And therefore " rejoice in the Lord : and again, I say, re-
joice."

2. Abide under the shadow, and make your nest among
the branches of this blessed tree. O study the spouse ; she
"sat down under his shadow." You know the birds nestle
and build among the branches, thither they flee for safety :
Psal. civ. 16, 17, the birds are said to "make their nests
among the cedars; and as for the stork, the fir trees are her
house." So let all the birds of Paradise come and make their
nests, their house, and dwelling in the tree of life: "To him
shall the Gentiles seek, and his rest shall be glorious. Return
unto thy rest, O my soul, for the Lord hath dealt bountifully
with thee," says David, Psal. cxvi. 7.

3. Live upon the fruit of the tree; live upon the fruit of his
obedience, death, resurrection, ascension, and intercession ; be
ever plucking the other apple off the tree of life. " The life
which I live in the flesh, I live by the faith of the Son of
God," saith Paul. By faith we " eat the flesh, and drink the
blood of the Son of man." Be continually making use of
Christ, for you will always be needing him; every moment
be " building up yourselves in your most holy faith ;" be con-
tinually " drawing water out of the wells of salvation."

4. Whenever you find yourselves hurt, or your health im-
paired by corruption, temptation, presently apply the leaves
of the tree of life for healing, the healing word, and Christ in
it to thy soul: and do it without delay, for delays are danger-
ous ; it is best to take the remedy at the beginning of a dis-
ease. " When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit
of the Lord shall lift up his standard against him."

5. Be often making use of the river of the water of life,
which runs under the boughs of this tree ; cry much for the
influences of the Holy Ghost ; lay your souls open to the blow-
ings of this wind, to the flo wings of this pure river of water of
life, that so, under the shadow of this tree, you may be " like
trees planted by the rivers of water, bringing forth fruit in
season : for they that dwell under his shadow shall revive as
the corn, grow as the vine, and their scent shall be as the
wine of Lebanon,"

XVI.] AND LEAVES AMONG THE NATIONS. 523

6. O invite others to come to the tree, and say, 0 taste and
see that his fruit is good, pleasant, profitable, and plenteous. O
study to commend Christ, with the spouse, " My beloved is
white and ruddy, the chiefest among ten thousand." Tell
the hungry what excellent fruit is here ; tell the weary what
glorious rest is here; tell the diseased soul what healing leaves
are here ; tell the guilty what an excellent righteousness is
here.

7. Let your resentment run against those who would hew
down the tree of life. O stand up in his quarrel. Attempts
have been made, even by some in our own day and land,
" to cast him down from his excellency :" but, sure I am, if
you ever tasted of his fruit, or were healed by his leaves,
you will do what you can to resent his quarrel, and to main-
tain his glory and excellency, and to vindicate his honour
against all the attacks that are made upon it.

8. Lastly, Let all the birds of Paradise sing the praises of
God, who planted this tree of life for us, and who has opened
up a new and living way to the heavenly Paradise, where
we shall sing among the branches of this tree for ever. Mean
time, O lisp out that song, Eph. i. 3 : " Blessed be the God
and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us
with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ Jesus."
O sing the praises of him that sitteth on the throne, and of
the Lamb ; sing that song of the redeemed, Rev. v. 12, 13 :
"Worthy is the Lamb that was slain, to receive power, and
riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and
blessing. And every creature which is in heaven, and on the
earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and
all that are in them, heard I, saying, Blessing, and honour,
and glory, and power be unto him that sitteth upon the
throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever." And let
every soul say amen to this blessed song.

N B. Through the importunity of some who heard the three foregoing sermon* the
author allowed the notes of them to go to the public, though not so full as he could have
desired, particularly that delivered upon the Sabbath.

524

SERMON XVII.

THE LAW OF FAITH ISSUING FORTH FROM MOUNT ZION.*
For the law shall go out of Zion. — Isa. ii. 3.

THE FIRST SERMON ON THIS TEXT.

From the beginning of this chapter and downwards, we
have a prophecy concerning the glorious kingdom of grace,
to be erected by the Messiah, under the New Testament dis-
pensation. Where two or three things may be noticed.
(1.) By what name the prophet speaks of the New Testa-
ment church ; he calls it " the mountain of the Lord's house."
This is that mountain upon which the Lord promises to " make
unto all people a feast of fat things, a feast of wines on the
lees," Is. xxv. 6. Under the Old Testament, the mountain of
the house of the Lord was restricted to Jerusalem, the church
of God was mostly pent up within the narrow boundaries
of Jerusalem and Judea ; but under the New Testament, the
mountain of the Lord's house is to be found, wherever God
is worshipped, the gospel preached, and the mystery of sal-
vation through a Redeemer opened. (2.) We have an ac-
count of the in-gathering of the Gentile nations, into the
bosom of the church under the New Testament ; " all na-
tions shall flow unto it." The kingdom of Christ shall no
longer be confined to the nation of the Jews, the natural
posterity of Abraham ; no, the partition-wall shall be broken
down, and " from the uttermost parts of the earth songs shall
be heard, even glory to the righteous." This flowing in of
the nations into the bosom of the church, points out both the
great multitude of converts, and their cheerful submission to
the obedience of Christ; they should be innumerable like the
drops of water in a river : and as the water of a river flows
into the sea, so should the gathering of the nations be unto the
blessed Shiloh ; they shall come in like troops of volunteers
under the banner of Christ : " Thy people shall be willing
in the day of thy power," or in the day of thy armies, Psal.
ex. 3. (3.) We have the encouragement which the New
Testament converts give to their friends and neighbours to
come along with them, and partake of the blessings of

• Three discourses preached at the administration of the Lord's Supper
atlnveresk, August 9, 10, 11, 1729.

XVII.] THE LAW OftFAITH ISSUING FORTH FROM MOUNT ZION. 525

Christianity, and share of the advantages of the Messiah's
administration ; " many people shall go and say, Come ye,
and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house
of the God of Jacob," &c. They that know Christ, and
who have obtained grace and salvation through him, are
fond that others should share with them ; saying with the
woman of Samaria to her fellow-citizens, " Come, see a man
which told me all things that ever I did : is not this the
Christ?" They would have all the world the better of him,
could they get their desire.

Now follows an account of the great mean or instrument c,
by which all this should be effected, how the kingdom of S
Christ under the New Testament should be erected, The law
shall go out of Zion, and the zvord of the Lord from Jerusalem.
The last part of the verse is exegetic or explicatory of the
first, the word of the Lord that goes out of Jerusalem being
the same thing with the law that goes out of Zion : and it is
this I am to insist upon at present. Where notice,

1. The designation given to the gospel ; it is expressed
here under the notion of a law. It is generally agreed among
all orthodox interpreters, that by the law here is to be under-
stood the jjospjil, And it is not withoufgobcT reason that they
make this to be the meaning ; for it is not a law coming
out of Sinai, but out of Zion : it is a law^vhich is the great
instrument of gathering the nations in to the bosom of the
church : All nations shall flow unto it, for the law shall go
out of Zion. And this is not effected by the law of com-
mandments, but by the gospel only. Indeed, the law of com-
mandments is the instrument of conviction, and " was added
because of transgression ;" but it is the gospel that is the
great instrument of conversion, Rom. x. 17 : « Faith cometh
by hearing, and hearing by the word of God, even the gospel
of our salvation." This is the rod of Christ's strength, which
he sends out of Zion, and by swaying of which he brings in
armies of volunteers, like " the drops of dew from the womb
of the morning." Neither is this the only place where the
gospel is called by the name of a law ; we find Paul, the
great apostle of the Gentiles, using the same form of speech,
Rom. hi. 27 : "Where is boasting? It is excluded. By what
law ? of works ? Nay ; but by the law of faith." Of which
more afterward, if the Lord will.

2. In the words we may notice the royal seat from w7hence
this law is issued ; it comes forth from Zion. Zion was the
usual name by which the Old Testament church was called :
" The Lord hath chosen Zion : he hath desired it for his ha-
bitation. This is my rest for ever : here will I dwell, for I
have desired it." " Out of Zion, the perfection of beauty,

526 THE LAW OF FAITH [SER.

God hath shined." And then the church was called Zion,
from the mount upon which the temple was built : thither
the tribes of Israel went up to worship the God of Israel,
who dwelt between the cherubims. And we find this name
of Zion transferred from the Old to the New Testament
church, Heb. xii. 22 : " Ye are come unto mount Zion, the
city of the living God." The reason of which is, because the
New Testament church was ingrafted, as it were, into the root
of the Old Testament church : all the Old Testament econo-
my being nothing else but a preparative to the glorious dis-
Elays of the grace, mercy, and love of God, which were to
e made to a lost world, upon the coming of the great Mes-
siah : and adorable Providence so ordered it, that at Zion, or
Jerusalem, where the Old Testament church expired upon
the resurrection of Christ from the dead, there the gospel-
Zion, or the New Testament church, was first founded, with
the solemnity of the down-pouring of the Spirit in a visible
manner upon the day of Pentecost, and the conversion of
the three thousand by Peter's sermon, Acts ii., where people
of different nations were gathered, such as " Parthians,
Medes, Elamites, dwellers in Mesopotamia, and Judea, and
Cappadocia, in Pontus, and Asia, Phrygia, Pamphylia, Egypt,
Lybia,Cyrene, strangers of Rome, Jews and proselytes, Cretes
and Arabians ;" I say people gathered out of all these nations
to Zion or Jerusalem were the hearers of the first gospel ser-
mon ; and their hearts being touched with the efficacy of it,
no doubt they would immediately spread and propagate it
upon their return to their several countries : and thus the law
went out of Zion, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.
Farther, I find in scripture an opposition stated bejtween
mount Sinai and mount Zion, Gal. iv. 24, and Heb. xii. 22.
Mount Sinai, where the law of commandments was delivered,
was a place of terrible blackness and darkness, and tempest;
but mount Zion, whence the gospel law is issued, is a place
of joy, comfort, and light, a vision of peace. Upon mount
Sinai, God appeared in his terrible majesty ; but from mount
Zion, he appears as a God of peace, grace, and love. Mount
Sinai and its law-covenant " gendereth unto bondage ; but
mount Zion or Jerusalem, which is from above, is free, and
her children are the children of the free woman." God
came down upon mount Sinai only for a season, and then ut-
terly forsook it ; but mount Zion, spiritually considered, is
his fixed residence, Here still Vll stay. In a word, " the law
of works," cometh forth from Sinai ; but " the law of faith,"
the law of grace and love, cometh forth out of Zion.

3. We have the egress of this law from Zion ; it goelh forth,
like a proclamation issued out by royal authority to his sub-

XVII.] ISSUING FORTH FROM MOUNT ZION. 527

jects, that none may pretend ignorance ; it goes forth like the
waters of the sanctuary, which issued out from under the
threshold of the temple, and ran into the desert of the Gentile
nations, making every thing to live whither it came.

Observ. " That the gospel, which is the law of sovereign
grace, is issued out from Zion, or published for the behoof of
lost sinners, who are sinking under the curse and condemna-
tion of the law of works. The law shall go out of Zio?i."

In discoursing on this text and doctrine, I shall endeavour
to observe the order and method following : —

I. I shall offer some general thoughts respecting the gospel,
here called by the name of a law.

II. Give the reasons of this designation, or show why the
gospel is called a law.

III. Notice some of these gospel laws of sovereign grace
issuing out of Zion.

IV. Give some of the excellent qualities of this law.

V. Inquire into the differences between the law coming out
of Zion, and the law coming out of Sinai.

VI. Wind up all in some practical improvement of the
whole.

I. The first thing is, to give some account of the gospel, here
called a law coming out of Zion. All I shall say about it at
present is only to tell you,

1. That the word gospel properly signifies any good speech,
or joyful message : and fitly is it applied to the gospel, because
it brings the most joyful message to lost sinners that ever was
heard. Behold, said the angels to the shepherds, " we bring
you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. —
For unto you is born this day, in the city of David, a Saviour,
which is Christ the Lord." On the same account also it is
called "the joyful sound," Psal. lxxxix. J5, 16: "O blessed
are the people that know this joyful sound: they shall walk,
O Lord, in the light of thy countenance. In thy name shall
they rejoice all the day: and in thy righteousness shall they
be exalted." The gospel brings a sound of liberty to cap-
tives, of pardon to condemned criminals, of peace to rebels, a
sound of life to the dead, and salvation to them that lie on the
borders of hell and condemnation.

2. You would know, that the gospel, strictly taken, is a
word of promise. The first gospel that ever was preached to
our first parents, when a dismal cloud of wrath was hanging
over their heads in Paradise after the fall, was in a promise,
Gen. iii. 15: "The seed of the woman shall bruise the head
of the serpent." The gospel preached to Abraham, what

528 THE LAW OF FAITH [SER.

was it but a promise of Christ? " In thy seed shall all the na-
tions of the earth be blessed," Gal. iii. 8. And I think it ob-
servable, that the same thing which the apostle calls the ges-
tae/, ver. 8, he calls the promise, and the covenant, ver. 17 — 19.
So that the gospel, strictly taken, is a word of promise: so
Heb. iv. 1, 2, compared", — what the apostle calls "a promise
of entering into God's rest" in the 1st verse, he calls the gos-
pel in the 2d verse. And a God of love and grace dispenses
his grace in a promise, for our encouragement to take hold of
it in a way of believing ; for there is nothing in which the
faithfulness of God is so much engaged as in a promise, the
very design of which is to be believed.

3. We are carefully to distinguish between the gospel, and
the dispensation of the gospel ; for although the gospel, strictly
taken, be a word of promise, yet there are many other things
that belong to the gospel dispensation. For instance, the
whole law of God, considered both as a covenant and as a rule,
falls in under the dispensation of the gospel ; the law, as a
covenant, is a school-master to lead us to Christ, by con-
vincing us of sin and misery ; the law, as a rule, comes in to
show us what is good, and what the Lord our God requires
of us, not for justification, but in point of love and gratitude,
even "to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with
our God;" and every man that really by faith closes with the
promise, or law of grace, will infallibly approve of the law of
commandments, as holy, just, and good: and thus it is for a
light to his feet, and a lamp to his paths. All gospel institu-
tions, such as the word, sacraments, and prayer, and other
means of God's appointment, belong to the dispensation of the
gospel, being as so many golden pipes, by which the golden
oil of the grace of God in the promise is conveyed to the city
of God. AH the histories, prophecies, and types of the word,
what arc they but an opening and explication of the promise?
Every thing in the word, from the beginning to the end of it,
is, some way or other, subservient to the exhibition or appli-
cation of the promise to us.

4. Since the coming of Christ in the flesh, and the erection
of a New Testament church, the gospel is much more clearly
preached than it was under the old dispensation. Under the
Old Testament, the glorious mysteries of redeeming love lay
under a veil of dark prophecies, types, ceremonies, and the
like: but now "life and immortality is brought to light;" the
mystery which was hid from ages and generations, is made
manifest to the saints ; the fountains of the great depth of the
love, wisdom, and knowledge of God in Christ, are broken up,
and set forth in the purest light. Thus much for the Jirst
thing, which was, to give you a general view of the gospel.

XVII.] ISSUING FORTH FROM MOUNT ZION. 529

II. The second thing was, to inquire wJiy..thg^rQ£pil is called
a Ian: The law shall go out of Zion.

1. Then, the gospel may he called a law, by way of accom-
modation, or condescension to the weakness of the Jewish na-
tion, who had the word laic in such veneration, that they could
receive no doctrine hut what went under that name and notion.
And this is a reason given by some excellent interpreters,
whyjLhe-apostle Paul calls the gospel ll\g law of faith, Horn.
iii. 27. He became all things to all men, that lie might gain
some; to the Jews he spoke as a Jew. So here, he speaks
to them in their own dialect, when he calls the gospel the law
of faith. As if he had said, You will needs he justified by
the law, why, saith he, you cannot be justified by the law of
works; but here is a law by which you may be justified, even
by the law of faith, " the gospel of the grace of God." We
rind Christ accommodating himself much after the same man-
ner to the Jews, John vi. 28. There a company of legalists
came to Christ, who had no other notion of the way to salva-

tion but by working or doing, and they say to him, "\Vhat\
shall we do, that we might work the works of God?" Christ
answers them in their own dialect, ver. 29 : " This is the work
of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent." Work-
ing and believing stand opposite to one another in the business
of a sinner's salvation, as you see, Rom. iv. 5 ; and yet Chw&f,
to accommodate himself to these Jews, calls faith a work,
though it excludes itself and all works besides in the business
of salvation. So. here, the apostle calls the gospel a law, in
condescension to the Jews, though, as you heard, it. js„a-ln\y.
that requires no works to be done by us; for it is not the law
of wows, but the law of faith.

2. The gospel may be called a law, because it is the will o(
a Sovereign, intimated to those who depend on him for their
being, and well-being, and who lie entirely at his mercy. A
law must bear the stamp" of sovereign authority on it: and in
this sense the gojpeJ is fitly called a law, because it carries
the stamp of the authority of Heaven; not only the law of
commandments, but the law of faith, or the gospel, is^jssuej
forth with a Thus saith the Lord. And if the gospel be not
received and believed upon this ground, namely, that, of the
divine testimony, it is not a faith of the right stamp ; for the
language of faith is, " Speak, Lord, for thy servant heareth :"
it receives the whole will of God, and that not as the word of
man, but as it is indeed the word of the living God.

3. The gospel may be called a law, because of its obligato-z.
riness both upon God and man ; it has a mighty force to bind
and oblige all concerned. What more binding to God than
his own promise? It is to him as the laws of the Medes and

vol. i. 45

THE LAW OF FAITH [sEK.

Persians, which he will not come and go upon ; no, his pro-
mise (which is the law of faith) is not yea and nay, but it is
always yea and amen : and this is the great comfort of be-
lievers, that he will not go back with his word ; no, " The
Strength of Israel will not lie, nor repent." And then, as this
law of faith is binding upon God the Lawgiver, so it is bind-
ing upon us, to whom it is given ; for though it enjoins no duty
preceptively, yet it requires faith objectively considered; that
is, it is the object of faith, and the matter of faith, the fuel
of faith, and it requires or commands faith in us, just as meat
and drink require a hungry and thirsty man to eat and drink,
when they are set before him. What can be a better invita-
tion to eat, than to have meat set before us, with a hearty
welcome to the guests'? So what can be a stronger obliga-
tion upon us to believe, than to have Christ and his whole
fulness set before us, in a full, free, unhampered call, offer,
and promise.

4. The gospel is called a law, because of the public inti-
mation of it to a lost world. You know laws of sovereigns
are commonly proclaimed by heralds, from the market-cross,
with sound of trumpet, that none may pretend ignorance :
so the gospel is published by heralds, I mean, ministers of the
gospel, who are ordered to proclaim it from the tops of the
high places, and in the entry of the gates, and places of pub-
lic concourse; yea, our commission bears us to intimate it to
men, and the sons of men, to preach this gospel to every crea-
ture, that none may perish through ignorance of the way of
salvation.

5. The gospel is fitly called njaic, because it is the mea-
sure and standard of faith ; and therefore fitly called by the
apostle in the place just now cited, Rom. hi. 27, the law of

faith. The whole of our religion is comprised in two things,
expressed in the 3d question of our Lesser Catechism, name-
ly, what we are to believe, and what we are to do. As for
the lasTTnamely: What duty God requires of man"; it is sum-
marily comprehended in the law of the ten commandments,
that is the standard and measure of duty; and therejs nothing
sin but what the law forbids, and nothing duty but what the
law requires. But as for what we are to believe concerning
God, to the salvation of our souls, the gospel only is the stand-
ard of that. Oiir_ faith is to be bounded by the gospel, as our
practice is by the law ; so that we are not to receive for doc-
trine the dictates or notions of men. True faith will receive
nothing, it will believe nothing but just what God says in the
gospel; it will take and entertain every word of God and no
more ; it is the measure of faith, and the true boundary of
faith; and therefore fitly called the lazv of faith.

XVII.] ISSUING FORTH FKOM MOUNT ZION. 531

G. The gospel may be called the law of faith, because of
the invincible power and force that it lays a sinner under to
receive and believe it, when accompanied with the energy
of the Spirit. I remember that this same apostle frequently
calls indwelling sin a law, Rom. yii. 23 : " I find a law in my
members, warring against the law of my mind," And Rom.
viii. 2 : " The law of the Spirit of life, in Christ Jesus, hath
made me free from the law of sin and death." Sin. is called
alow, because of the power that^it has over the man, to lead
Hi fp captive to its service.: so, for the same reason, the gospel
may be called Ihc lazv of faith, because, when accompanied
with the efficacy of the Spirit, " it is the power of God unto
salvation ; for therein is the righteousness of God revealed
from faith to faith." It is " mighty through" God, to the pull-
ing down of strong holds, casting down imaginations, and
every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of
Christ, and brings every thought into captivity to his obedi-
ence." O that the gospel may be indeed the law of faith to
many in this respect, that it may be the power of God to the
salvation of their souls.

7. I think it may be called a law, in respect of the royj.1
throne from which it issues fortm The law of command-
ments comes from God's throne absolutely considered ; but
the law of faith goes out from the throne of God and the Lamb,
that is, from a throne of grace : hence we read of the " pure
river of water of life proceeding out of the throne of God, and
of the Lamb :" which may be understood of the doctrine of
the gospel, which is frequently in scripture compared to water.
It is from this throne that all the laws of grace in the gospel
are emitted*. And then,

8. Because the promise, which is the soul of the gospel,
runs in the style of adorable sovereignty, even of sovereign
grace : " I will be their God, and they shall be my people.
I will be merciful to their unrighteousness," &c. And when
this law of grace is received by faith, the soul just says, O
Lord, thy will be done, and it shall be done because it is thy
will. And this leads me to,

III. The third thing in the method, which was, to take no-
tice of these laws or edicts of sovereign grace issued forth from
Zion, for the benefit of sinners perishing under the sentence of
death, through the bixach and violation of the law of zcorlcs. We
that are ministers are the heralds of the great King, whose
name is, " The Lord God merciful and gracious :" and are
by our office not only to stand upon mount Sinai, and publish
the law of works, with the curses that it thunders against
every one that continues not in all things that are written there-
in to do them ; but, in a special manner, we are obliged to
stand on mount Zion and Gerizim, to " preach the gospel of

532 THE LAW OF FAITH [SER.

peace, and bring glad tidings of good things ;" and we dare
not for our souls conceal his faithfulness and loving kindness
from the great congregation of Adam's family. And there-
fore I, as one of the meanest heralds of the great King, whose
throne is high and lifted up, do, in his name and authority,
publish from this high place of the city of God, some of these
laws of sovereign grace, enacted at a throne of grace, beseech-
ing and entreating every man and woman hearing me, to
take the benefit of the great gospel law. Whatever thy case
be, O sinner, though ever so desperate in thine own eyes, yet
thou wilt find an act of grace in the court of mercy suiting
thy condition. As,

1. Let us suppose the worst that can be, that thou artzdth-
oul God in the world ; which is the case of every man and wo-
man by nature since the fall of Adam ; we have lost our God,
the greatest and most comprehensive loss a creature can sus-
tain. Well, I bring you glad tidings of great joy, that God,
having found a ransom, and smelt a sweet savour in the death
of his eternal Son, issues forth a law of grace from mount
Zion, saying, "I will be their God, and they shall be my peo-
ple ;" and with this law of grace he ushered in the moral law
at mount Sinai, Exod. xx. 2 : " I am the Lord thy God," &c;
which is the sum and substance of the covenant of grace.
This law or act of grace is laid as the foundation of obedience
to all the commandments of the mora] law; yea, by the first
commandment, every man and woman in the camp of Israel
was bound to lay hold on it, and to know and acknowledge
the only true God as their God, and to worship and glorify
him accordingly. O sirs, answer the design of this edict of
grace, and believe that it is as God says, upon the ground of
his own promise in Christ. See the echo of the soul to this
law of grace, Psal. xvi. 2: "O my soul, thou hast said unto
the Lord, Thou art my Lord." Zech. xiii. 9: " I will say, It
is my people; and they shall say, The Lord is my God." But
of this I have spoken more largely in a separate discourse:

2. Poor sinner, art thou lying under a burden of sin and
guilt, which is like to sink thee down to the lowest hell 1
Well, here is a law of faith for thee in that case to plead
upon before a throne of grace, Is. xliii. 25: "I, even I, am
he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake,
and will not remember thy sins." To the same purpose is
that act of sovereign grace, Heb. viii. 12 : "I will be mer-
ciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their ini-
quities will I remember no more." Now, let faith plead
this law or act of grace in prayer, for a free discharge of
the debt of sin you are lying under to the law and justice
of God; and if you do, you may lift up your head from under

XVII.] ISSUING FORTH FROM MOUNT ZION. 533

the burden of guilt, and cry, " Who can lay any thing to my
charge?"

3. Art thou molested with the workings 6( indwelling sin
and corruption? Well, here is a law passed for thy relief
against that enemy ; it is enacted by sovereign grace, and
registered in the court-book of the grace of God, Rom. vi. 14:
"Sin shall not have dominion over you; because ye are not
under the law, but under grace." See another law to the
same, purpose, Mic. vii. 19: "I will subdue their iniquities."
Whenever iniquity is prevailing, or indwelling corruption like
to get the upper hand of thee, go to the court of grace, and
present this act or law of grace to God, and tell him, Lord,
hast thou not enacted and ordained, that " sin shall not have
dominion ?" hast thou not doomed this bosom-enemy to de-
struction? Such a corruption, such a lust, such an idol is
usurping dominion over me; hast thou not said it shall be
otherwise? Lord, put thine own law in execution, and so it
shall be, because sovereign grace has said it.

4. Art thou assaulted with the fiery darts of Satan? is that
roaring lion coming upon thee with open mouth to devour
thee? Well, poor soul, here is a law of faith in thy favour,
" The God of peace shall tread Satan under thy feet shortly;
his grace shall be sufficient for thee, and his strength perfect-
ed in thy weakness." Take the benefit of this act of grace,
and let faith carry it to the court of grace, where it was pass-
ed, saying, " Lord, I am oppressed, undertake for me;" I know
not what to do: wilt not thou who hast spoiled principalities
and powers, and who hast doomed Satan to destruction and
came to destroy his works, wilt not thou either free me from
the molestation of Satan, or give me strength to stand my
ground? But,

5. Art thou perplexed with the fears of apostacy, that the
little measure of grace thou hast will never carry thee through,
hut that thou shalt fall away, to the reproach of religion ? Up
the heart, O poor trembling soul, there is a law, an act passed
in the court of grace, that " he who hath begun the good
work in thee, will carry it on to the day of Jesus Christ :" and
that " though thou fall, thou shalt arise; for the Lord up-
ho'deth thee with his hand :" it is enacted, that " thou shalt
hold on thy way, and wax stronger and stronger," till thou
" return and come to Zion with songs, and everlasting joy
upon thy head." And, therefore, let faith be set at work
upon these acts, to plead, their forth-coming at the hand of
him that passed them.

6. Art thou afraid of days of tribulation and persecution
for the cause of religion, or days of personal trial ? Well,
take courage, there is a law of faith passed in the court of

45*

534 THE LAW OF FAITH [sER.

grace, that though " in the world ye shall have tribulation,"
yet " in me ye shall have peace :" it is enacted, that his pre-
sence shall be with thee in fire and water, Is. xliii. 2 : " When
thou passest through the waters, I will he with thee; and
through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee; when thou
walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burnt ; neither
shall the flame kindle upon thee:" it is enacted, that "thy
light afflictions, which are but for a moment, shall work for
thee a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory ; while
thou lookest not at the things that are seen, which are tem-
poral, but at the things that are not seen, which are eternal :"
it is enacted, that " though many be the afflictions of the
righteous, yet the Lord will deliver him out of them all."
Now, let faith be set at work to improve these acts or laws of
grace, for the King that has enacted them will see to make
them good.

7. Art thou under pinching wants, either as to soul or body?
Well, there are acts or laws passed in the court of grace for
thy supply. As to bodily wants, it is enacted, that at least
" bread and water shall be sure," and that no good thing shall
be wanting, that is for his glory and thy good. As for soul-
wants, it is enacted, that "out of Christ's fulness thou shalt
receive grace for grace ;" that "when the poor and needy seek
water, and there is none, and their tongue faileth for thirst, I
the Lord will hear them, I the God of Israel will not forsake
them." And therefore let faith fix upon this law of faith, and
say, " My God will supply all my need, according to his riches
in glory, by Christ Jesus."

8. Art thou in a strait as to sin or duty, that thou knowest
not to what hand to turn? Well, in this case it is enacted,
that "thou shalt hear a voice behind thee, saying, This is the
way, walk ye in it: that he will lead the blind in ways they
know not ; that he will lead them in paths that they have not
known; that he will make darkness light before them, and
crooked things straight." And, therefore, let faith fix upon
the honour and faithfulness of him that passed such an act,
and say, with David, " Thou wilt guide me with thy counsel,
and afterward receive me to glory," Psal. lxxiii. 24.

9. Art thou complaining of the want of the rain of the
Spirit, by the withholding of which thy soul is like the moun-
tains of Gilboa? There is a law passed in the court of grace,
Is. xliv. 3: " I will pour water upon him that is thirsty, and
floods upon the dry ground: I will pour my Spirit upon thy
seed, and my blessing upon thine offspring." Ezek. xxxvi.
27 : "I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk
in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them,"

XVII.] ISSUING FORTH FROM MOUNT ZIOX. 535

Hos. vi. 3: "I will come to them as the rain, as the latter and
former rain unto the earth."

10. Art thou complaining that thy heart is hard like a piece
of the nether mill-stone; that thou canst not get it melted or
softened, either by word or rod, promise or threatening? Well,
there is a law passed with relation to the stony heart, that
the Lord himself will take a course with it, Ezek. xxxvi. 26:
"A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I
put within you, and I will take away the stony heart out of
your flesh, and 1 will give you a heart of flesh." And, there-
fore, take that act to the court of grace, and put the King to
his word, and believe it, that he who has said it, will do it ;
that he who has spoken it, will also bring it to pass.

11. Art thou within views of death and eternity, and afraid
to look the King of terrors in the face 1 Well, there is a law
of sovereign grace passed, which thou mayst carry in the
hand of faith, before which the terrors of death do vanish,
Hos. xiii. 14 : "I will ransom them from the power of the
grave : I will redeem them from death ; O death, I will be thy
plagues; O grave, 1 will be thy destruction; repentance shall
be hid from mine eyes." It is enacted, that " thy God will
never leave thee, nor forsake thee; that he will be thy God
for ever, and thy guide even unto death."

Thus, I have endeavoured, according to the measure of
grace given me, to publish some of the laws or acts of grace
coming out of Zion ; for the Lord's sake, take the benefit of
them in the way of believing. Perhaps you may say, O these
are beneficial laws indeed to them to whom they pertain;
but, alas! I cannot think they pertain to me. I answer, These
laws of grace pertain to the whole visible church ; that every
one that hears the joyful sound of them, may take the benefit
of them by faith. If ye will not believe me, I hope you will
believe the Spirit of God, speaking by the apostle Paul, Rom.
ix. 4; where, speaking of the Old Testament or Jewish church,
he says, " To whom pertaineth the adoption, and the gloi'y,
and the covenants, and the giving of the law, and the service
of God, and the promises." Now, I ask, Is the privilege of
the New Testament church retrenched, or made narrower
than the privilege of the Jewish church? No, by no means;
it is rather enlarged. Did the covenant and the promise per-
tain to them ? And do they not appertain to us also? Yea,
the apostle, Heb. iv. 1, tells us plainly, that they are left to
us as the latter-will of our glorious Redeemer; and therefore
we are to take care that we do not lose the benefit of it
through our unbelief: " Let us fear, lest a promise being left
us of entering into his rest, any of you should come short of
it," And the apostle Peter, speaking to a company of men

536 THE LAW OF FAITH [SElL-

whose hands had lately been dipped in the Redeemer's blood,
to encourage them to believe, he expressly tells them, Acts
ii. 39, " The promise is unto you, and to your children, and to
all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall
call." Therefore, I say, do not put away these laws from
you, as things you have no concern in ; for " to you is the
word of this salvation sent:" and, in the name of God, 1 cer-
tify and warn every man and woman hearing me, that if you
do not take hold of the law of grace by faith, the law of
works and its curse will take hold of you ; yea, it has seized
upon you already, the fire is already kindled in his anger ; for
" he that believeth not, is condemned already, and the wrath
of God abideth on him." When you refuse to take the be-
nefit of the law coming out of Zion, I mean, of the gospel of
the grace of God by faith, you offer the most signal affront
to the great God ; you make him a liar, and upon the matter
say, that his laws of grace, his promises, are not to be trusted.
And is it to be imagined, that such horrid blasphemy can go
unpunished 1 For the Lord's sake then, take heed what you
are doing.

I should now proceed to the fourth thing proposed, and give
you some of the excellent qualities of the law of faith, but
shall go no farther at present.

THE LAW OF FAITH ISSUING FOItTH FROM MOUNT ZION.
The law shall go out of Zion. — Isa. ii. 3.

THE SECOND SERMON ON THIS TEXT.

The doctrine I noticed from the words was, That the gos-
pel is a law of grace, issued out from Zion, for the benefit of
lost sinners, lying under the sentence of death for the breach and
violation of the law of works.

The law of works is issued out from Sinai, but it must be
a law of grace that comes out of Zion, these two mountains
being commonly opposed one to another in scripture, as the
apostle Paul clears, Gal. iv. and Heb. xii. Mount Sinai is
represented as a theatre of wrath, wrapped about with black-
ness, and darkness, and tempest ; but mount Zion, as a thea-
tre of grace, love and mercy, displayed towards lost sinners,
through " the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things
than the blood of Abel." At mount Sinai is heard the voice
of thunder and vengeance against " every one that continu-
eth not in all things which are written in the book of the law
to do them ;" but at mount Zion is heard the joyful sound of

XVII.] ISSUING FORTH FROM MOUNT ZION. 537

life, light, liberty, peace, pardon, and salvation to the sinner,
who was in danger of being consumed with the flames of
divine wrath. So that it cannot be the law of works, or the
law commanding works of righteousness to be done by us,
but the law of grace, the law of faith, or gospel, which is
here to be understood by the prophet, when he says, that the
law shall go out of Zion ; and the prophet here, in the last
clause of the verse, gives a commentary upon his own words,
lest his meaning should be mistaken, " and the word of the
Lord from Jerusalem." The law coming out of Zion, and
the word of the Lord issuing from Jerusalem, are one and
the same thing. Now, what was the word of the Lord that
issued from Jerusalem, but the glorious gospel, which, ac-
cording to Christ's command given to his disciples, began
first to be preached at Jerusalem after his resurrection, and
from thence ran forth to Judea, Samaria, and the uttermost
parts of the earth, by which the prophecy of Joel was ful-
filled, that the waters of the sanctuary should run down into
the valley of Shittim 1

The method in which I proposed to prosecute the doctrine
was,

I. To show what the gospel is, which is here expressed
under the notion of a law.

II. To inquire into the reason of this denomination.

III. To notice some of these royal laws or acts of grace
which go out of Zion.

IV. To give some of the qualities or properties of this new
gospel law.

V. To inquire into the differences between the law of
works coming forth from Sinai, and the law of grace going
out of Zion.

VI. To apply.

I spoke on the first two of these yesterday, and entered
also upon the third. I was endeavouring, as one of God's
heralds, to proclaim some of these laws of grace which come
out of Zion, that sinners might take the benefit of them by
faith, and plead them in the court of grace.

Art thou going under a burden of guilt, which is like to
sink thee down to hell ? Well, there is a law of grace for
thee, Is. xliii. 25 : The charge runs very high against Israel
in the preceding verse ; " Thou hast made me to serve with
thy sins, thou hast wearied me with thine iniquities." One
would think, that immediately the sentence of the law of
works would follow, therefore thou shalt die for ever, there-
fore I will weary thee through eternity, with the arrows of
vindictive wrath, drinking up thy spirits: but sovereign grace
takes the start of justice, issuing out an act of indemnity,
" I, even I am he that blotteth out thine iniquities." Art thou

538 THE LAW OF FAITH fjSER.

molested with the workings of indwelling sin? There is a
law of grace issued out of Zion suiting thy case, Rom. vi.
14. Art thou assaulted with the fiery darts of Satan ? Well,
here is an act of grace for thy relief, Rom. xvi. 20 : " The
Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptation :"
or if the temptation be continued, there is an act of grace
for thy support and through-bearing, 2 Cor. xii. 9. Art thou
black and polluted like hell ; ashamed to look God in the face
through a sense of thy pollution and defilement 1 There is
an act passed in the court that looks favourably upon thy case,
Ezek. xxxvi. 25: "I will sprinkle clean water upon you, and
ye shall be clean;" and, Psal. lxviii. 13: "Though ye have
lien among the pots, yet shall ye be as the wings of a dove
covered with silver, and her feathers with yellow gold."
Art thou now and then affrighted at the sight of the pale
countenance of the king of terrors, so as to fall a trembling
at the thoughts of thy dissolution 1 Well, even in this case
there is an act of grace to secure thee against danger, Hos.
xiii. 14. Art thou afraid of a sentence of condemnation,
when thou comest before the tribunal? There is an act or
law of grace that secures thee against this, Rom. viii. 1:
" There is no condemnation to them which are in Christ Je-
sus." Thus, you see that there are laws of grace issued out
of Zion answering every case. What shall I say more?
By this law of grace God has bound himself to be " our
God," and that " we shall be his people," that " he will never
leave us nor forsake us," that " he will heal our backslidings,
love us freely, and receive us graciously." In a wrord, all
the promises of the covenant are acts of grace, or gracious
interlocutors issued from a throne of grace, for the benefit
of lost sinners.

But may the sinner say, These indeed are glorious and
surprising laws ; but alas ! I have no interest in them, I dare
not claim the benefit of these acts, for I am a sinner, I am
far off. I answer, Acts of grace are only calculated for sin-
ners ; a rio-hteons roan doth not stand in need of an act of
grace, but o£_a.n act of justice in his favour,. If thou wert
as righteous as Adam' was before he fell, thou mightest claim
life, and all things belonging to it, as a debt ; but thou art a
sinner, who has lost all claim and title to life by the law of
works ; and the law of grace is fitted and calculated by In-
finite Wisdom for such only. And whereas you say, you are
far off; know for your encouragement, that grace speaks
" peace to them that are far off, and to them that are near,"
Is. lvii. 19: and Acts ii. 39: " The promise is unto you, and
to your children, and to all that are afar off: To you is this
word of salvation sent." This law of grace is preached to
every creature, that every creature that hears it may take

XVII.] ISSUING FORTH FROM MOUNT ZION. 539

the benefit of it, and come in to God through Christ by vir-
tue of it. I proceed now to,

IV. The fourth thing proposed, which was, to give you
some of the excellent qualities and properties of this law of grace
coming out of Zion. O sirs, it is the most excellent law for
a lost sinner that ever was. The excellency of it will ap-
pear in the following particulars, which may be improved as
so many motives to excite and engage sinners to take the
benefit of it.

1. Then, It is a life-givi?ig law to them that are legally and
spiritually dead. Since the fall of Adam the law of com-
mandments never gave life to any of his posterity ; no, the
law of works is weak through the corruption of nature, to
do any thing for fallen man. Instead of giving life, it claps
on the sentence of death upon us for every and the least sin-
ful thought, word, or action. The apostle plainly insinuates
that neither life, righteousness, nor any good, can come to a
sinner by any commanding law whatever, Gal. iii. 21 : "If
there had been a law given which could have given life,
verily righteousness should have been by the law." But, sirs,
I bring you glad tidings of great joy, which may make the
heart of a sinner to flutter in his breast ; although the law
coming < >ut of Sinai, or the law of commandments, cannot give

Me (.1 righteousness, yet here is a law of grace coining out
of Zion. that gives both; and if thou wilt but give this law a
fair hearing, life will come in with it to thy dead soul, Is. lv.
3 : " Hear, and your soul shall live, and I will make an ever-
lasting covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David."
And what is it that the lost sinner is to hear ? You see how
earnest the Lord is for sinners to listen, three times in a
breath he calls them, ver. 2, 3, to arrest their attention, Hear-
ken diligently, and then a second time, Incline your car, and a
third time it is repeated, with a promise of life, if they will
give him a hearing, " Hear, and your soul shall live." Well,
surely something of moment is to be said after all this solemni-
ty, ver. 4, you have an act of sovereign grace, making a grant
. of Christ to lost sinners, and it is (besides all the former solem-
nities) ushered in with a Behold, as a note of attention and
admiration, " Behold I have given him for a witness to the
people, for a leader and commander to the people." There
is the law of grace coming out of Zion, and " whoever be-
lieves it, shall not perish, but have everlasting life." O let
the lost sinner entertain and welcome it, for " it is a faithful
saying, and worthy of all acceptation." See the law giving
life proclaimed by the apostle John, under the notion of the
record of God, 1 John v. 11 : " This is the record, that God

540 THE LAW OF FAITH [.SER.

hath given to us eternal life : and this life is in his Son." O
sirs, set to the seal that God is true, apply this grant of eter-
nal life through Christ to your own souls in particular, hold
God at his word, for he will not go back ; " his gifts are
without repentance."

But O, may you say, that God has given eternal life to the
elect, and to believers, I believe to be a truth ; but he has
not given eternal life to the like of me, for I am none of these.
I answer, Many a one shall go to hell who set to their seal
to this as a truth, that God has given eternal life to the elect,
and to believers ; and therefore that cannot be the thing in-
tended by the Spirit of God in that record : no, the meaning
must be, that God has in his indefinite promise, by an act of
sovereign grace, made a grant of eternal life to sinners, lost
and undone sinners of Adam's family ; and this is issued out
of Zion, that every one may take the benefit of it, by setting
to the seal that God is true and faithful, not to others only,
but true to his own soul in particular; that he has given or
granted eternal life to me in and through his Son Jesus
Christ, in whose hand eternal life lies, ready to be given out
to every one .that takes hold of it, by virtue of the law of
grace, or covenant of grace and promise. O sirs, take the
benefit of this grant of sovereign grace, since no less than
your life, yea, the eternal life of your souls lies at the stake :
" Skin for skin, yea, all that a man hath will he give for his
life." And if the life of the body be so valuable, that a man
will risk all that he has in a world to preserve it, how much
more valuable is the life of the immortal soul 1 O think,
and think again, upon that awful word of Christ, " What is
a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose
his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his
soul?" Matth. xvi. 26. For the Lord's sake, then, take the
benefit of this law, giving life to your poor souls, which must
inevitably perish through eternity if you do not.

2. This law coming out of Zion is a law of love. The gos-
pel is just the warm breath of a God of love. Love is the
imperial attribute of his nature; and to make way for its
manifestation, in consistency with the honour of justice, God
spared not his own Son, but gave him to the death for us all :
O " herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved
us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. The
gospel is the proclamation of this love of God, in giving Christ
and all things freely with him: John iii. 16: "God so loved
the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoso-
ever believeth in him, should not perish, but have everlasting
life." Every word of the gospel smells rank of the love of
God to lost sinners. Here we may see his wings of love spread

XVII.] ISSUING FORTH FROM MOUNT ZION. 541

out to cover and hide them from avenging wrath and justice,
the arms of love stretched out to embrace them, the hand of
love held out to help them, the eyes of love beholding them
with infinite compassion, the bowels of love sending out a
sound after them, crying, " Turn ye, turn ye, why will ye
die? As I live, I have no pleasure in the death of the wick-
ed, but rather that they turn unto me and live."

3. The law coming out of Zion is a righteous law, or a law
of righteousness to the guilty sinner, who is far from righteous-
ness. Sirs, you and I are fond enough by nature to seek right-
eousness by the law of works, though it be a thing utterly
impracticable for any sinner, that has but once broken a com-
mand of that law, to attain it. We read, indeed, that the
Jews attempted it ; " they went about to establish a righteous-
ness by the law, and would not submit unto the righteousness
of God." Well, but did they make it out? No: see what
the apostle says, Rom. ix. 31, 32: "Israel, which followed
after the law of righteousness, hath not attained to the law
of righteousness. Wherefore? Because they sought it, not by
faith, but as it were by the works of the law; and by the
works of the law shall no flesh living be justified." But, sirs,
though you can never attain righteousness by the law of
works, yet here is a law by which righteousness may be at-
tained ; yea, a righteousness which will answer the law of
works in all the commands, demands, and penalties of it :
Rom. viii. 3, 4: "What the law could not do, in that it was
weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son, in the like-
ness of sinful flesh, and for sin condemned sin in the flesh :
that the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who
walk not after the flesh but after the Spirit." The gospel,
which is the law coming out of Zion, reveals the righteousness
of Christ, for the sake of which God is well pleased, because
it magnifies the law of works, and makes it honourable. It not
only reveals this righteousness, but brings it near to the sin-
ner, who is far from having any righteousness of his own :
Is. xlvi. 12, 13 : " Hearken unto me, ye stout-hearted, that are
far from righteousness: I bring near my righteousness." Sirs,
the devil, and an unbelieving heart, will persuade you, that
Christ, and his righteousness are quite out of your reach, and
that it is needless, for you to look after it ; Christ is in hea-
ven, and how shall I be the better of him? But, for the sake
of your immortal souls, beware of this way of thinking, for it
brings in a secret despair into the heart, that makes men
hang down their hands, and turns them quite careless and in-
different about Christ, his righteousness, and salvation. See
what the apostle says to you and me, Rom. x. 6 — 8. He had
told, ver. 5, what the law of works says: "The man which

vol. i. 46

542 THE LAW OF FAITH [.SER.

doth those things, shall live by them ;" but then he tells what
the gospel says, which he calls " the righteousness of faith,
because therein the righteousness of God is revealed from faith
to faith," from the faith of God revealing, to the faitli of man
receiving. Well, what says the gospel, or the law giving
righteousness? It "spcaketh on this wise, Say not in thine
heart, Who shall ascend into heaven ? (that is, to bring Christ
down from above) or, Who shall descend into the deep? (that
is, to bring up Christ again from the dead.) But what saith it?
The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart:
that is, the word of faith, which we preach." What can be
neare'r to a man, than the word that is in his mouth, or the •
thought that is in his heart? Yet so near does Christ, and
his righteousness, and salvation, come to every man that hears
the gospel ; for if when we are speaking of it, or thinking of
it, our souls would but believe it, Christ and his righteousness
become our own for ever. And, therefore, you that would
have a righteousness to answer the charge of the law of
works, a righteousness that will bear you through when you
come to the tribunal of God, O take hold of the law of faith
coming out of Zion ; " for therein is revealed the righteous-
ness of God ;" Christ is therein given and offered as " the Lord
our righteousness. He was made sin for us, who knew no
sin ; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him."
4. The law which comes out of Zion, as you heard, is an
indemnifying law, Heb. viii. 12; Is. xliii. 25. The very name
of him whose law it is, is "The Lord, merciful, and gracious,,
pardoning iniquity, transgression, and sin ;"' that is, all sorts of
sins, great and small ; and whatever be their number or qua-
lity, it is his glory and prerogative to forgive. It is true, " he
will by no means clear the guilty," without a satisfaction to
justice ; but the satisfaction is made, the ransom is found, and
he is just in pardoning as well as condemning; he is just
in pardoning the sinner that believes, as well as just in
condemning the sinner that believes not. Yea, for your en-
couragement to take the benefit of God's indemnity that
comes out of Zion, I tell you that the justice of God is more
glorified in pardoning the sinner through Christ, than in pun-
ishing and exacting the debt from the sinner in his own per-
son : for when justice falls upon the sinner, and exacts the
debt of him, it will be taking satisfaction of the criminal for
ever, and yet will never be satisfied; but when he assoils a_
sinner through the blood of Jesus, as mercy is magnified, so
justice is satisfied to the full. Hence is that of the apostle.
Rom. iii. 25, 26: "Whom God hath set forth to be a propi-
tiation, through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness
for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbear-

XVII.] ISSUING FORTH FROM MOUNT ZION. 543

ance of God ; to declare, I say, at this time his righteousness :
that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth
in Jesus."

5. The law coming out of Zion is a law of peace, or a law
enacting peace, and proclaiming peace to the sinner, who
has been waging war against heaven: "I create the fruit of
the lips; peace, peace to him that is far off, and to him that
is near." Indeed, an absolute God appearing from a tribunal
of justice, proclaims red war against every sinner, every
transgressor of his law ; " he is angry with the wicked every
day," yea, so angry that he declares " there is no peace to
the wicked ; he will wound the head of his enemies, and the
hairy scalp of him that goes on in his trespasses." But the
same God appearing from mount Zion, from a mercy-seat
sprinkled with the blood of Jesus, proclaims peace to the
greatest sinner on this side of hell ; he holds out the sceptre
of peace to them, inviting them to touch it, and " take hold
of his strength, that they may make peace with him, and
they shall have peace with him." See a word to this pur-
pose, 2 Cor. v. 19, 20 : " God was in Christ, reconciling the
world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them ;
and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation. Now,
then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did be-
seech you by us : we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye recon-
ciled to God." O then, rebels, take the benefit of the law
coming out of Zion ; and he who « ascended up on high, and
led captivity captive, and received gifts for men, even for the
rebellious," will give grace even unto you: "Let the wicked
forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts;"
and let him turn by faith to a God in Christ, " and he will
have mercy upon him, and to our God, for he will abundant-
ly pardon."

6. This law coming out of Zion is a law of liberty to the
sinner, who is a lawful captive to the law and justice of God,
and under bondage to sin and Satan ; Christ having satisfied
justice, grace steps up to the throne, and issues out her war-
rant for sinners to go free. By this law coming out of Zion,
it is enacted, that the sinner should come forth, and he that
sits in darkness is allowed to show himself as a freeman in the
eyes of the whole world. I say, this law is a law of liberty,
not to sin, but of liberty from sin, from the guilt, filth, and
power of it. " Sin shall not have dominion over you," is one
of the royal statutes of the court of grace, O " prisoners,
come forth," accept of liberty, upon the law issuing out of
Zion. How deservedly shall you lie in chains through eternity
with the devils, if you do not!

7. The law coming out of Zion, is an easy law, no hard

544 THE LAW OF FAITH [SER.

task imposed on you as the condition of life. It does not, as
the law of works, require you to do and live; it does not
require you to spin a righteousness out of your own bowels,
but to receive a righteousness wrought out by a Surety,
and made ready to your hand ; it does not require you to
purchase salvation to yourselves, but to receive a salvation
already purchased by Christ; it does not bind you to obey the
law, in-order to obtain a title to life, but it presents you with
a title to life, through him who is the righteous Heir, even
Jesus Christ. Here then is a law that needs not be grievous,
a yoke that is easy, a burden that is light indeed; yea, this
law of faith makes the law of works easy and light, be-
cause it affords righteousness to fulfil it as a covenant, and
strength to obey it as a rule. So that, I say, it is an easy law
that comes out of Zion, it is a law of rest to the weary;
''Come unto me all ye that are weary, and heavy laden,
and I will give you rest :" and whenever a poor soul by faith
takes the benefit of this law of grace, immediately he enters
into rest, Hebi iv. 3.

8. This law corning out of Zion is a dignifying and enno-
bling law ; whoever takes the benefit of it, that moment he
becomes " a son of God, an heir of God, and a joint-heir with
Jesus Christ ; he has a name given him better than of sons
and daughters, even an everlasting name that shall never be
cut off." You, and I, as we are descendants from the first
Adam, are base-born heirs of hell, children of wrath and con-
demnation ; but here is a law, which, if improved and re-
ceived by faith, does, by an act of grace, translate you out
of the family of hell into the family of heaven. " To as many
as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons
of God, even to them that believe on his name." O then
take the benefit of the law of grace.

9. It is a law of adorable sovereignty. Never did the sove-
reignty and royal majesty of Heaven shine with such a lustre
and beauty in the law issued from Sinai, as it does in this law
of grace, which comes out of Zion. Indeed, the sovereignty
of justice, equity, and holiness, shined and doth shine in the
commandments of that law which was published at mount
Sinai ; but in this law which comes out of Zion, the sove-
reignty of grace, love, and mercy shines, and the justice, ho-
liness, power, and wisdom, and other attributes of the divine
nature, which were displayed in the law of works, appear as
so many pillars supporting the fabric of grace, and the acts of
grace which are published in the gospel.

10. This law coming out of Zion is a sure, firm, and irre-
pealable law, which can never be disannulled; it is "of grace
that it may be sure to all the seed ;" it is surer than the laws

XVII.] ISSUING FORTH FROM MOUNT ZION. 545

of the Medes and Persians, surer than any bond or charter
that ever was framed by the wisdom of man. The worm and
moth will eat all your charters to your earthly inheritances;
but the gospel covenant, which is the law of grace, is a char-
ter, that cannot change forever ; it is " established in the very
heavens ; yea, heaven and earth shall pass away, but one jot
or tittle of it shall never fall to the ground. The mountains
shall depart, and the hills be removed, but my kindness shall
not depart from thee, neither shall the covenant of my peace
be removed, saith the Lord, that hath mercy on thee."

11. The law coming out of Zion is a law that lies open to
every man that hears or reads it; I mean, every man has li-
berty to take the benefit of it. You know every man in Bri-
tain has the benefit of the laws of the kingdom, or of the acts,
of parliament, or proclamations of the King. Acts xix. 38, says
the town-clerk of Ephesus to the people that were risen in a
mob at the instigation of Demetrius, "If Demetrius and the
craftsmen which are with him, have a matter against any
man, the law is open :" so say I, as the laws of the kingdom
are open to rich or poor, to claim the benefit of them in the
proper courts of the kingdom; so the law of grace, the cove-
nant of promise, is open to all that live within the visible
church, the kingdom of Christ, " O blessed are the people
that know this joyful sound," so as to take the advantage of
it; "the promise is unto you, and to all that are afar off."
We that are ministers intimate and proclaim the gospel, the
law of grace, that every creature may take the benefit of it;
that which was once spoken in the ear, or sounded in secret into
the ears of the disciples, do we now proclaim, as " upon the
house- tops, or in the high places of Zion : Unto you, O men,
do we call, and our voice is to the sons of men. 0! Let us
fear, lest a promise being left us, any of us should seem to
come short of it." So much for the fourth thing.

V. The fifth thing in the method was, to inquire into the dif-
ference and agreement between the lazv coming out of Zion, and
the lazo coming out of Sinai ; or, in other words, between the law
and the gospel.

1. Then, The law of commandments coming out of Sinai is
a thing known (though not in its uttermost latitude and extent)
by the light of nature; as is clear, Horn. ii. 14, 15, where the
apostle tells us, that " the Gentiles which had not the law, do
by nature the things contained in the law, these having not
the law, are a law unto themselves : which show the work of
the law written in their hearts," &c. The writings of Seneca
Plato, Confucius, and other heathen moralists, are incontest-
able evidences of the truth of this. But now the gospel, or the
law of grace, which comes out of Zion, is a thing only known;

46*

546 THE LAW OF FAITH [SER.

by supernatural revelation from on high. Search all the vo-
lumes of the heathen philosophers, from one end to the other,
you shall never find in them the least hint of an incarnate
Deity, or of the glorious mystery of salvation through a cru-
cified Christ. Indeed, they discovered God as a creating God,
and as a governing God, as a commanding and threatening
God ; but they never discovered him as a promising God in
Christ ; no, no, this is only owing to the discovery that God
has made of himself in the gospel. Yea, the mystery of sal-
vation through Christ is so much out of the ken of natural
reason, that even after it is revealed externally in the dispen-
sation of the word, yet such is the ignorance and depravation
of nature, and the strong bent that it has toward the law,
that it cannot know, and cannot receive it, till a beam of su-
pernatural light shine into the heart : hence Christ tells his
disciples, " Unto you it is given to know the mysteries of the
kingdom of heaven, but to others it is not given." The light
of natural reason is so far from receiving the gospel revelation,
that it spurns at it, and opposes it with might and main : " How
can this man give us his flesh to eat?" said the Jews to Christ.
The gospel preached by Paul, was "a stumbling-block to the
Jews, foolishness and vain babbling to the Greeks and wise
Athenians." Hence comes the difficulty of believing in Christ
to the saving of the soul. The strong bias and current of na-
ture must be altered, and reason (which sits king in the soul)
deposed from its sovereignty, and lie down as a servant at
the feet of sovereign grace reigning through the imputed right-
eousness of the Son of God: and you know the change of go-
vernment and administration in a kingdom is not effected com-
monly without a mighty struggle between parties contending
for the sovereignty; hence comes the " confused noise of the
warrior, and garments rolled in blood :" self-reason, self-will,
self-righteousness, and self-confidence, study to maintain their
claim to the government of the heart against grace ; and this
makes " as it were the company of two armies," between
whom the war is continued, till death sound the retreat.

2. The office of the law of works coming out of Sinai is to
discover sin and guilt; "it was added because of transgres-
sions," says the apostle. " By the law is the knowledge of
sin, and sin by the commandment appears to be exceeding
sinful ;" and at the bar of the law, " the whole world is found
guilty before God ; no flesh living can be justified," if God deal
M(ith us according to the terms and tenour of the law. But
now the office and province of the gospel coming out of Zion
is to discover Christ, as " the Lord our righteousness, and the
end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth."
The gospel tells us, that " Christ has finished transgression,

XVII.] ISSUING FORTH FROM MOUNT ZION. 547

and made an end of sin, brought in an everlasting righteous-
ness ;" — that " he was made sin for us, who knew no sin, that
we might be made the righteousness of God in him." The
gospel shows how the righteousness of the law may be ful-
filled in us, namely, by God's imputation and faith's accepta-
tion of the righteousness of God revealed for this end in the
gospel.

3. The law of works is a cursing and condemning word to
the guilty sinner, " Cursed is every one that continueth not
in all things which are written in the book of the law to do
them ;" it cries " Wo, wo, wo, to the inhabitants of the earth ;"
nothing but clouds of wrath and vengeance are to be seen by
a guilty sinner when he looks toward Sinai ; " indignation and
wrath, tribulation and anguish unto every soul of man that
doeth evil." But now the gospel is a word of blessing; it pre-
sents Christ the blessed seed of Abraham, and cries, " Men
shall be blessed in him, and all generations shall call him bless-
ed." The law is a word of wrath, but the gospel comes with
the olive branch of peace; the law displays the red flag of
war, but the gospel casts out the white flag of reconcilation,
saying, " God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto him-
self," sending out a word of reconciliation; and, " O how
beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace,
and bring glad tidings of good things!"

4. The law coming out of Sinai is a slaying and killing
word to the sinner. Paul had the experience of this at his
first conversion; it was a keen arrow dipped in law-vengeance,
that struck him to the ground in his way going to Damascus,
and made him cry, " Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?"
Hence it is that he thus expresses himself, Rom. vii. 9, 10: "I
was alive without the law once: but when the commandment
came, sin revived, and I died. And the commandment, which
was ordained to life, I found to be unto death." But now
the gospel, or the law coming out of Zion, is a word of life ;
the first sound of the gospel, when it reaches the heart, is like
life from the dead to the poor soul that was lying in the re-
gions and shadow of death ; by it we are "begotten unto a
lively hope of eternal life, to an inheritance incorruptible,
and undefiled, and that fadeth not away." It is with a view-
to the preaching and publication of the gospel in the power
of it, that Christ says, John v. 25 : " the hour is coming, and
now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God ;
and they that hear shall live :" hence the gospel is " the power
of God unto salvation," it contains " the words of eternal life."
" Go," says the Lord to the apostles, when he is dismissing
them from the prison, into which they were shut up by the
persecuting Jews, " Go, stand and preach in the temple to the

548 THE LAW OF FAITH SER.]

people, all the words of this life;" that is, go preach the gospel,
publish my law of grace to lost sinners, notwithstanding all
the malice and power of your enemies, Acts v. 20.

5. The law of works coming out of Sinai, is a word of
bondage ; but the gospel coming forth from Zion, is a word
of freedom and liberty. This the apostle illustrates at great
length, Gal. iv. from ver. 22, and downward, where he corn-
pares those who are under the law to Hagar and Ishmael
her son ; those who are of the gospel, or children of the pro-
mise, to Sarah and her son Isaac, ver. 24 : " Which things
are an allegory ; for these are the two covenants, the one
from the mount Sinai, which gendereth to bondage, which is
Agar." And, ver. 25, 26 : "This Agar is mount Sinai in
Arabia, and answereth to Jerusalem which now is, and
is in bondage with her children. But Jerusalem which is
above, is free, which is the mother of us all." And, ver.
28 : " Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are the children of
promise." And, ver. 30 : " Cast out the bond-woman and
her son ; for the son of the bond-woman shall not be heir
with the son of the free-woman." From all which it appears,
that the law is a word of bondage, and they that cleave to it
are in bondage to sin, to Satan, to the curse and wrath of
God ; but the gospel is a word of liberty, and they who do
by faith receive and entertain the joyful sound of it, are not
the children of the bond-woman, but of the free ; being freed
from the law as a covenant, freed from its curse, from the
dominion of sin, and the power of Satan, and advanced into
the glorious liberty of the children of God. It is very re-
markable, that Ishmael, the son of the bond-woman, is cast
out of the family, even after he had done many things in
obedience to his father Abraham ; all his services he had
done in the family would not give him a title to the inherit-
ance ; no, notwithstanding all he had done, he is disinhe-
rited : just so is it with the legalist, who keeps and obeys
the law in a servile way, with a view to entitle himself to the
inheritance, or to deliver himself from hell and wrath by- his
obedience ; all his service stands for nothing, at last he is
cast out with the son of the bond- woman. But as Isaac, be-
ing a child of promise, was, by virtue of the promise, entitled
to Abraham's estate, before ever he was capable to do his
father any service; just so is it with believers; they re-
nounce all claim to the inheritance of eternal life by the law,
or the works of it, and serve themselves heirs to the inherit-
ance by virtue of the promise, which is yea and amen in Christ.
Thus, I say, the law gendereth to bondage, but the gospel to
liberty and freedom.

6, Whatever the law gives to anv of Adam's race, it gives

<Ct

XVII.] ISSUING FORTH FROM MOUNT ZION. 54'J

in a way of debt, whether it be life or death. If a man
keeps the law perfectly, he shall have life as his reward, and
as a debt, due to him in a pactitionnl way; if he break the
law, he shall have death, as a debt due for his rebellion
against Heaven; hence "the wages of sin is death:" Rom.
iv. 4 : " To him that worketh, is the reward not reckoned of
grace, but of debt." But now whatever the gospel, or the
law coming out of Zion, gives to any, it gives in a way of
grace or free gift ; hence we are told, that " the gift of God
is eternal life, through Jesus Christ our Lord ;" and this is as-
serted upon the record of a Trinity, " that he hath given unto
us (namely of his own sovereign grace) eternal life, and this
life is in his Son. It is " not by works of righteousnes, which
we have done, but according to bis mercy that he saves us."
By the law of works justice reigns either to eternal life, or to
eternal death, as the law is kept or broken ; but by the law of
faith, or the gospel, " grace reigns through righteousness unto
eternal life, by Jesus Christ our Lord."

7. The law of works is calculated for the justification of a
righteous man, like Adam in a state of perfect integrity, and
it speaks peace to none but such ; but 'the gospel, or law
coming out of Zion, is calculated for the justification of the
fallen, ruined, and bankrupt sinner- it shows a way how God
justifies the ungodly, Rom. iv. 5 : " To him that worketh not,
but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly." None but
they who own themselves ungodly and unrighteous, can enjoy
the privilege of justification by the gospel ; for " Christ came
not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance."

8. The law of works, through the depravation of nature,
irritates and strengthens corruption ; Rom. vii. 5 : " The mo-
tions of sins which are by the law, work in our members to
bring forth fruit unto death." And, ver. 8 : " Sin taking
occasion by the commandment, wrought in me all manner of
concupiscence." And, ver. 11 : " Sin taking occasion by the
commandment, deceived me, and by it slew me." From
which it appears, that the law, considered abstractly, instead
of being the death of sin, is the strength of it. Whenever
the commandment of the law is broken, the curse takes
place, of which this is a particular branch, that such a man
shall be given up to the power of sin, that he may be ca-
pable to do nothing but sin, and sin on till he has ripened
himself for hell and wrath ; " My people would not hearken
to my voice ; and Israel would none of me/ So I gave them
up to their own hearts' lust; and they walked in their own
counsels." It is the voice of the law, and the most terrible
voice that it utters on this side of hell, Such a man is "joined
to his idols, let him alone; he builds altars to sin, and altars
shall be unto him to sin." Thus, the law of works, instead

550 THE LAW OF FAITH [SER.

of weakening sin in the soul, gives up the sinner to the power
of sin, that he may go on without any restraint, till the final
sentence of the law be executed with a vengeance. And
then corrupt nature is so impetuous, that the more it is
hemmed in by the law, the more does it swell and rage, till
it has broken down and broken through all the boundaries
the law set against it. Thus, I say, the law of works ab-
stractly considered, through the depravation of nature, irri-
tates and fortifies corruption. But now the gospel, or law
coming out of Zion, enters into the heart, and, through the
power of the eternal Spirit, wastes, weakens, and kills it in
the very source and fountain ; for " we through the Spirit do
mortify the deeds of the body." And how do we receive the
Spirit 1 " Not by the works of the law, but by the hearing of
faith." I own indeed, that the law which urges obedience
and doing, may have so much influence upon those who are
under it, as to smooth and polish their outward conversation;
but yet it leaves the heart and will obstinate against its spi-
ritual commands ; the iron sinew is never bowed by any
power that the law hath, corruption keeps the throne in the
heart : but gospel grace enters the strong holds of iniquity,
casts down the high imaginations that advance themselves
against the knowledge of Christ, and brings every thought to
his obedience. Moses, we read, entered the border and out-
skirts of Canaan, such as the country of Sihon king of the
Amorites, and Og king of Bashan, but never pierced into the
heart of the country to subdue the Canaanites ; this was left
for Joshua, a type of our Jesus: just so is it here, the most
the law can do to them that are under it, is only to restrain
sin in the conversation, to reform the life ; it may bring a
man to serve in the oldness of the letter, while sin still keeps
the throne in the heart ; hence either pride or hypocrisy, or
raging despair, remains with the legalist ; it is only the gos-
pel, or the law coming out of Zion, that is " the power of
God unto salvation."

9. The law of works coming out of Sinai is a word of
precept, or a commanding word ; but the law coming out of
Zion is a promising word. By the gospel God shows what
he is to do for us and to us of his sovereign grace ; by the
law he shows what we are to do for him in point of duty:
" He hath showed thee, O man, what is good ; and what doth
the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy,
and to walk humbly with thy God?" By the gospel God
shows what we may expect from him; and by the law he
shows what he expects from us, in a way of duty and grati-
tude. The gospel is the boundary of faith or things to be
believed ; the law is the boundary of practice, or things to
be done by us. In a word, all precepts whatever belong to

XVII.] ISSUING FORTH FROM MOUNT ZION. 551

the law ; but all promises, offers, and revelations of grace,
belong to the gospel.

10. The law of works enjoins duty, but gives no strength
to discharge it ; the law does not furnish the bankrupt with
any new stock with which to fall a trading, but supposes us
to have the stock and strength that God gave us at our cre-
ation ; it abates nothing, remits nothing of its demands upon
the account of our weakness, but requires as much service
of the sick and weak sinner as if he were sound and strong ;
it admits of no composition or allowance to the insolvent
debtor. But now the law coming out of*Zion considers the
sinner as bankrupt ; and therefore presents him with an ever-
lasting righteousness, with which to answer the law as a co-
venant : it considers him as wholly impotent for any duty ;
and therefore leads him out of himself to Christ, as the
" strength of the poor and needy ; it gives power to the faint,
and increases strength to them that have no might;" it
teaches the soul to say, Though I be not sufficient to think a
good thought, or to do any duty of the law, yet " I can do
all things through Christ strengthening me." The gospel law
coming out of Zion considers the man as poor; and there-
fore presents him with "gold tried in the fire, to enrich him:"
it considers him as naked; and therefore presents him with
ivhile raiment : as blind ; and provides him with eye-salve, that
he may see: it considers him as starving for want; and there-
fore invites him to " eat that which is good, and to delight
himself in the abundance of fatness :" as bewildered ; and
therefore shows him " the new and living way" to glory,
crying, " This is the way, walk ye in it." Thus, I have
showed some of the principal differences between the law
and the gospel.

I shall conclude the doctrinal part of this discourse, by
pointing out, in a few words, the harmony and agreement be-
tween them ; for although there be all these differences be-
tween the law and the gospel, yet there is no feud between
them. They sweetly stand together in their proper place ;
the law is not against the gospel, nor the gospel against the
law ; no, there is a pleasant harmony, which will appear, if
we consider, that by the gospel, the law reaches its end,
" Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one
that belie veth." In the gospel we see the law fulfilled as a
covenant, and settled as a rule of obedience. I say, it is ful-
filled as a covenant by the righteousness revealed in the gos-
pel ; yea, not only fulfilled, but " magnified and made ho-
nourable," a new and superadded glory reflected upon it, by
Christ, the Son of God, his being " made under the law, to
redeem us who were under the law." And then by the gos-

552 THE LAW OP FAITH [SER.

pel it is also settled as a rule of obedience, Rom. Hi. 31 : "Do
we make void the law through faith 1 God forbid : yea, we
establish the law." The gospel brings to light new motives
and arguments to obedience, which the law itself, abstractly
considered, could never afford ; namely, arguments drawn
from the consideration of redeeming grace and love, which
have a more constraining power to obedience with an inge-
nuous spirit, than all the curses and penalties that the law
denounces against those who do not continue in obedience
to it.

Again ; the harmony of the law and gospel appears in this,
that the law paves the way to the entertainment of gospel-
grace ; for it is a school-master to lead us unto Christ, that
we may be justified by faith." The law is a lance in the
hand of the chirurgeon to open the ulcer of sin and corrup-
tion within us ; the gospel, as a medicinal balsam, drains and
gradually heals it, when applied in a way of believing: the
law is a plough to till up the fallow-ground of the heart of
man ; the gospel is the good seed cast into the furrows,
which being impregnated by the dew of heaven, makes it
spring up to everlasting life : the law is a hammer to break
the rock in pieces; the gospel dissolves it with the warm
fire of the love of God shed abroad in the heart by the Holy
Ghost. Thus, the law is subservient to the great design of
the gospel.

Again; what the law teaches preceptively, the gospel
teaches effectively; the law enjoins the duty, the gospel fur-
nishes with grace to obey it ; there is no duty the law re-
quires, but there is suitable furniture in the gospel-promise
to discharge it. Does the law require us to k?iwu- the Lord,
which is the first precept in the moral law? Well, here is
suitable grace provided in the gospel, " I will give them a
heart to know me, that I am the Lord." Does the law re-
quire us to " trust in him at all times?" Well, the gospel-pro-
mise is suited to this, " They shall trust in the name of the
Lord," Zeph. iii. 12. Does it require of us to " love the Lord
our God with all the heart, soul, strength, and mind?" Here
is gospel-grace to effect it, " I will circumcise their hearts to
love the Lord their God." Does it crave obedience, saying,
"Walk before me, and be thou perfect?" Well, the grace
of the gospel says, " I will put my spirit within you, and
cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my
judgments, and do them." Does the law -enjoin us to " sanc-
tify the Lord in our hearts, and make him our fear and our
dread?" the grace of the promise exactly suits that ; " I will
put my fear in their hearts, and they shall not depart from
me." Does the law require us to " call on the name of the

XVII.] ISSUING FORTH FROM MOUNT ZION. 553

Lord, to worship and serve him ?" The gospel promises, that
the "spirit of grace and supplication shall be poured out, to help
our infirmities, and to teach us to pray, and praise," and per-
form other acts of worship. Does the law enjoin us to repent,
and turn from the evil of our ways? The gospel promises the
heart of jksh, in place of the heart of stone: and tells us, that
" God sent his Son to bless us, in turning away every one of
us from our iniquities." Thus, you see that what the law
teaches preceptively, the gospel teaches effectively.

Again ; I might tell you that the harmony between the law
and the gospel appears in this, that the law discovers the sin-
ner's duty, and the gospel discovers the object of duty; the
law enjoins faith, the gospel lifts up Christ the object of faith :
" As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so is
the Son of man lifted up," namely, upon the gospel-pole;
" that whosoever believeth in him, should not perish, but have
eternal life." The law enjoins the sinner to love God with
all the heart; but it is the gospel only that presents God in
such a view, as to become an object of love to a guilty sin-
ner, namely, as he is a reconciled God and Father in Christ ;
for viewing God absolutely, as he is presented in the glass of
the holy law, he is an object of terror instead of love. The
law enjoins us to turn from sin, under the pain of eternal
wrath and vengeance; the gospel shows the sinner a refuge
to which he is to turn: "Turn ye to your stronghold, ye pri-
soners of hope." The law enjoins mourning for sin, "Rend
your hearts and not your garments;" the gospel presents a
crucified Christ, wounded for our transgressions, bruised for
our iniquities, whom, when the sinner views by faith, he
" mourns, as one doth for an only son, and is in bitterness, as
one is in bitterness for a first born." The law requires us
to worship the Lord our God ; the gospel discovers both the
object and the way of worship ; I say the gospel discovers the
object of worship; namely, a God in Christ, and the way to
the holiest opened by the blood of Jesus.

To conclude, the law by its terror sweeps away the refuge
of lies; the gospel discovers a new foundation of hope and
help, saying, " Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation, a stone,
a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation : and
he that believeth on him, shall not be confounded." The law
saps the foundation of sand, and overturns the tower that the
sinner was building in order to reach heaven by it ; the gospel
discovers the rock of ages, upon which the sinner may build
his house, against which the gates of hell shall never prevail.
The law, when viewed spiritually, drives the sinner out of
himself, by discovering his emptiness, poverty and misery;
the gospel draws and invites him out of himself, by discover-

vol. i. 47

554 . THE LAW OF FAITH [SER.

ing the all-fulness of a Redeemer to supply his wants, though
ever so great. The law lets the man see that he has no
money nor price ; the gospel shows that though he has no
money nor price, yet he may come and buy gold tried in the
fire, white raiment, and eye-salve. The law lets the sinner
♦see that he is shut up in a pit, wherein there is no water; the
gospel shows how the sinner, by the blood of God's covenant
may come forth out of the pit, and opens a fountain of living
water, where he may draw and drink with joy. The law leads
us to Christ for righteousness ; the gospel sends us to the law
as a rule of obedience, as a light to our feet, and a lamp to
our paths. Thus, the whole life and work of a Christian is a
continual traffic from the law to the gospel, and from the
gospel, back again to the law as a rule. So much, then, shall
serve for clearing the harmony and agreement betwixt the
law and the gospel.

VI. The sixth and last thing proposed, was the application
of the whole. And the Jirst use shall be by way of caution,
to prevent the abuse of this doctrine.

Although, as you have heard, there be such a law of grace
issued out of Zion for (he salvation of lost sinners; yet let
none from this conclude, or infer that the law of command-
ments coming out of Sinai is to be laid aside as a thing use-
less under the dispensation of the gospel. There are two ex-
tremes corrupt nature is ready to carry people into, who
hear the word preached : they are ready either to turn in to
the Antichristian or Antinomian camp. I say, some are
ready to turn in to the Antichristian camp, by setting up the
law, and the works of it, in the room of Christ and his ever-
lasting righteousness; and this is the extreme that all legal-
ists run into, whose hearts are not sufficiently loosed from the
law as a covenant. But then there are others, who, having
some notional knowledge of the doctrine of grace, of the law
coming out of Zion, in their heads, and being strangers to any
heart acquaintance with it, begin to imagine, that the moral
law, or the law of commandments, is a useless thing under
the gospel, and that it is a matter of indifference whether
they obey it or not ; and thus " turn the grace of our God into
lasciviousness." I may have occasion afterward to guard you
against the first of these extremes ; at present I would offer
something to keep you from the Antinomian extreme of cast-
ing away the law coming out of Sinai as a thing useless and
unprofitable under the gospel. And this I shall endeavour to
do, by telling you of several excellent uses that the law serves
for, even under the gospel. I shall not enlarge upon them,
some of them having been just now touched upon, in clear-

XVII.] ISSUING FORTH FROM MOUNT ZION. 555

ing the differences and harmony between the law and the gos-
pel. Know, then, that divines tell us of two main ends for
which the law was promulgated from mount Sinai: the one
was political, the other theological.

1. There was a political use of it, which the apostle seems
to point at. 1 Tim. 8, 9 : " We know that the law is good, if
a man use it lawfully; knowing this, that the law is not made
for a righteous man, but for the lawless and disobedient,
for the ungodly and for sinners, for unholy and profane, for
murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for manslay-
ers," &.c; that is, it was made for them, if not for their rule
that it should be their punishment.

2. The second use of it is theological or divine. This theo-
logical or divine use and end of the law is twofold. 1st,
In those who are not yet justified. 2dly, In those that are
justified.

1st, I say, in those who are to be justified, but are not yet
in a state of justification. And the use of it, with respect to
them, is to discover sin, or humble thenf for it, that so they
" through the law may die to the law" as a covenant, and so
betake themselves to Christ, who is " the end of the law for
righteousness to every one that believeth."

2dly, In those that are justified, the holy law serves, (1.)
As a rule of obedience, to direct to what is duty. (2.) As a
glass to discover the holiness of God, and the imperfection of
our obedience, that so we may see a constant use for Chi'ist,
both for righteousness and sanctification. (3.) It serves as a
bridle to restrain and hem in remaining corruption, as a rod to
chastise and correct for sin, 2 Tim. iii. 16. The Lord makes
use of it as a whip to lash his own children with inward terrors,
when he sees it needful for them; hence we find them sometimes
complaining that the arrows of the Almighty are zvilhin them,
namely, the arrows of legal". terrors, drinking up their spirits,
end setting themselves in array against them. This is some-
thing of the "spirit of bondage unto fear," which yet believ-
ers do not receive in a way of vindictive anger, as the wicked
do, but in a way of fatherly correction. This much, then,
by way of caution, to prevent Antinomianism, either in prin-
ciple or practice. Beware, then, of casting away the law
coming out of Sinai as a useless thing; if you do it, it is an
evidence that you never yet truly received the grace of the
gospel. It is among the acts or laws of grace coming out of
Zion, that " God will write his law upon the hearts of his
people, and put it into their inward parts ;" so that they are
made to " delight in the law of the Lord after the inward
man." It is, and will be the study of the true Israel of God,
to " walk according to this rule ;" and David's prayer will be

556 THE LAW OF FAITH [sER.

often in their hearts and mouths, Psal. cxix. 80 : "Let my
heart be sound in thy statutes; that I be not ashamed:" and
ver. 5: "O that my ways were directed to keep thy statutes!"
And if there be any here, who under pretence of gospel-
grace, discard the law of commandments, I shall only refer
them to that awful word of God, Psal. I. 16, 17: "Unto the
wicked God saith, What hast thou to do to declare my sta-
tutes, or that thou shouldst take my covenant in thy mouth 1
seeing thou hatest instruction, and castest my words behind
thy back." Do not then pretend to be saved by God's cove-
nant, while you disregard his commandments.

Use second of this doctrine may be of Information, only in
two or three things. Is it so that the gospel or law of grace
is issued out of Zion, for the benefit of sinners lost and con-
demned by the law of works? Then,

1. See hence how agreeable it is to the revealed will of
God, that a sinner believe in Christ. Why, in believing we
both answer the authority of God enjoining faith in the law
of commandments, and God's great design in the gospel or
law of grace, which is to bring Christ and his grace near to
sinners, that they may receive him by faith : John xx. 31:
" These things are written, that ye might believe that Jesus
is the Christ the Son of God, and that believing ye might have
life through his name."

2. See the horrid evil of the sin of unbelief, which tram-
ples both law and gospel under foot. It contemns the autho-
rity of God interposed in the law of commandments ; for " this
is his command, that ye believe on the name of his Son Jesus
Christ." And it despises the riches of his grace manifested in
the gospel or law of grace : it calls God a liar, and in effect
says, not a word or promise that ever he uttered is to be trust-
ed. Remember that awful word, Heb. x. 28, 29.

3. From this doctrine see what a fair way sinners living un-
der the gospel dispensation have for the eternal salvation of
their souls; why, they have the law coming out of Zion, acts
of grace and mercy issued out and proclaimed to them, and
they fully warranted and authorized to take the benefit of it.
If a company of condemned rebels had the king's indemnity
or act of grace proclaimed to them, and the act put in their
hand, who would be to blame if they did not take the benefit
of it? Surely none but themselves. The case is the very same
with sinners, condemned by the law, by conscience, and hea-
ven and earth : they have the gospel or law of grace pub«
lished to them, with this view, " That they may not perish,
but have everlasting life. For unto you is the word of this
salvation sent. The promise is even to them that are afar
off" O sirs, " how shall ye escape if ye neglect so great a

XVII.] ISSUING FORTH FROM MOUNT ZION. 557

salvation," and a salvation brought so near to you in the
"word of faith which we preach?" Rom. x. 8.

4. See hence what a happy and auspicious government and
administration believers are under: they are not under the
rigorous administration of the law or covenant of works, re-
quiring either perfect or sincere obedience as the condition of
life, but under the mild government of grace, where the law
coming out of Zion prevails: Hob. xii. 18, compared with ver.
22 — 24: "Ye are not come unto the mount that might be
touched, and that burned with fire ; nor unto blackness, and
darkness, and tempest ; — but ye are come unto mount Zion,
and unto the city of the living" God, the heavenly Jerusalem,
and to an innumerable company of angels, to the general as-
sembly and church of the first-born which are written in hea-
ven, and to God the judge of all, and to the spirits of just men
made perfect, and to Jesus the Mediator of the new covenant,
and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better, things
than that of Abel." Every son of Adam lives within the con-
fines of one of these mountains; I mean, of mount Sanai, or
mount Zion. The sinner that is out of Christ, let him be what
be will, a sober moralist, a painted hypocrite, or loose and
profane, he lives within the confines of mount Sinai, and re-
mains a debtor to do the whole law, under pain of eternal
death : but that moment a sinner believes in Christ, by virtue
of the covenant of grace, or the law issued forth from Zion,
he is joined to that heavenly corporation of the church mili-
tant and triumphant, consisting of angels, and the spirits of
just men made perfect, and imperfect on earth, of which
Christ is the glorious head, (called mount Zion and the heaven-
ly Jerusalem,) where he is for ever delivered from the com-
manding and condemning power of the law as a covenant, so
that he is no more to look either to be justified or condemned
by it. By the law coming out of Zion, he is exempted from
the command of the law as a covenant; so that it cannot ex^-
act obedience of him, as the condition of life, this being done
by the Surety. He is exempted, also, from the curse of the
law as a covenant; so that it cannot threaten him with the
penalty of eternal death, Christ his Surety having endured
that in his room and stead; so that there is no condemnation
to him, being in Christ Jesus. Not only so, but by virtue of
his union with Christ, the Heir of all things, he is entered
among " the general assembly of the first-born," who are all
" heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Jesus Christ." Thus, I
say, the believer lies under a happy and auspicious adminis-
tration ; on which account we may apply the words of Mo-
ses, Deut. xxxiii. 29 : " Happy art thou, O Israel : who is like
unto thee, O people, saved bv the Lord, the shield of thy help,

47*

558 THE LAW OF FAITH [SER.

and who is the sword of thy excellency !" or this of Balaam,
Num. xxiii. 9 : " The people shall dwell alone, and shall not
be reckoned among the nations."

5. From this doctrine see whence it is that believers, when
under the influence of the spirit of faith, have such boldness
and assurance in coming to a throne of grace. Why, the man
has law, even the law coming out of Zion, on his side, and
this gives him courage and boldness in asking grace and mer-
cy to help him in time of need. You know, a man, who has
business in any court, if he has law on his side, holds up his
head, and looks with an air of courage, and speaks with bold-
ness to the judge. This is the case with the believer, he has
the law coming out of Zion, the acts of grace, acts of peace,.
I mean, all the promises of the well-ordered covenant, on his
side ; he pleads upon these, fastens upon the veracity of a
God of grace, and requires him to do as he has said, to see to
the execution of his own will of grace, enacted at a throne of
grace, and registered in the court-book of the grace of God.
This, I say, is the ground of his confidence, Heb. x. 22 : "Let
us draw near with a true heart, in full assurance of faith,
having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience,, and our
bodies washed with pure water;" upon which it follows, ver.
23, "For faithful is he that hath promised."

Use third of this doctrine may be of Confutation to Papists,
Arminians, Pelagians, Baxterians, and others, who make the
gospel a new preceptive or commanding law, requiring faith,,
repentance, sincere obedience, and the like, which they say
were never required in the moral law from Sinai, by which they
destroy one of the main differences between the law and the
gospel ; for, as I said already, the law is a system of precepts,
the gospel a system of promises, or acts of grace strictly con-
sidered ; and to bring in new commands into the gospel, which
were never contained in the moral law, has been, and is, a
doctrine of a most pernicious tendency, in regard it derogates
from the perfection of the moral law, as if under the gospel
there were sins which it doth not forbid, and duties which it
doth not require. They who assert, that faith and repent-
ance are not enjoined, and that unbelief and impenitency are
not forbidden, even in the first commandment of the moral
law, contradict our received standards of doctrine, particu-
larly the Larger Catechism explaining the first command;,
they must needs assert another righteousness than the right-
eousness of Christ to fulfil the new gospel law, seeing Christ
was not made under it, but under the moral law, as a cove-
nant, to redeem us who are under it. When we sinned in
Adam we did not break the new gospel law, but the old mo-
ral law of the ten commandments; and if Adam never broke

XVII.] ISSUING FORTH FROM MOUNT ZION. 559

that new gospel law they speak of, his posterity cannot be
blamed if they want power to repent and believe ; and if
faith and repentance be enjoined by a new law, it is equita-
ble that a new fund of strength be given, in order to our
obeying it : and thus the Pelagian universal grace bestowed
on every man that hears the gospel is introduced. Many
other things might be said on this head, but I do not insist.

Use fourth may be of Trial. Whether are you under the
law of Sinai, or of Zion ? Whether are you under the law
covenant, or gospel covenant? Are you yet staying at mount
Sinai, with " the bond- woman and her seed ?" or are you
come to mount Zion, the place of freedom and liberty, with
"the children of the promise?' For clearing of this matter
I offer the following things by way of trial: —

1. If the law never slew you, you are under it, and mar-
ried to it as a husband: Gal. ii. 19: "1 through the law,
am dead to the law." Rom. vii. 9 : " I was alive without
the law once; but when the commandment came, sin re-
vived, and I died." Every man naturally sits mounted upon
the throne of his own imaginary righteousness; he imagines
himself to be alive, and that he is capable to do well enough,
by his own endeavours after life. But when the law of God
comes in its spirituality, it shakes the foundation of his re-
fuge of lies, just as the earthquake shook the foundation of
the prison at the jailer's conversion, making the poor man to
cry out, "O what shall I do to be saved?" Try yourselves
then by this. Has God brought you to the foot of Sinai,
making the thunders of his law to awaken you out of your
security? Has he given you such a view of the law in its
extent and spirituality, that you became quite dead to all con-
ceit of righteousness by any doing or obedience of your own,
saying, "All my righteousness is as filthy rags?" If you
were never yet brought to this pass, I fear you are yet stran-
gers to the law of grace issuing out of Zion, and that you are
yet under the law of works as a covenant.

2. You who do not know what it is to watch, and pray, and
wrestle against the legal bias of your hearts, it is a sign that
you are yet cleaving to mount Sinai law. As every man by
nature is seeking righteousness by the law of works; so be-
lievers themselves, while they have any thing of the old Adam
in them, will find a strong bias in their hearts to return to
that husband : he finds it a matter of the utmost difiiculty to
keep his treacherous legal heart from resting on his duties,
frames, graces, attainments as a ground of acceptance be-
fore God; and a sense of this makes him mourn before the
Lord as much, if not more, than for his other failings and in-
firmities. And therefore you who know nothing of this na-

560 THE LAW OF FAITH [SER.

tural bent of your hearts towards the law as a covenant ; and
you who do not know what it is to watch, and pray, and
wrestle against this bias of your hearts; it says that you are
yet within the confines of mount Sinai, not as yet come to
mount Zion.

3. When you are under any distress, or trouble of con-
science, to what quarter do you run for comfort and relief?
what is it that affords you ease '! The man that is married
to the law, runs to his husband for relief: I mean, he plies
the oar of his own obedience ; he heals hjs wound with a plas-
ter of vows, tears, penances, and endeavours after amend-
ment. But, sirs, you that heal the wounds of conscience
with such a plaster, are yet at " mount Sinai, which gender-
eth to bondage." The true believer, who is " come to mount
Zion," when an arrow from mount Sinai smites and wounds
him, does not run to Sinai, but " to mount Zion, to the blood
of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than the blood of
Abel." No balm but that of Gilead will heal his w7ound ; he
cannot find ease, but only under the wings of " the Sun of
righteousness."

4. You who can be troubled for gross sins and out-break-
ings, but were never affected with, or afflicted for the guilt
of Adam's sin, the corruption of your nature, the heinous
nature of the sin of unbelief, I suspect you never saw the
law in its spirituality ; and, consequently are not dead to it
as a covenant. There are two things that are more heavy
to a believer, who is " come to mount Zion," than any other
thing whatsoever ; namely, original sin and the sin of un-
belief: these, oh these, are the things that make him many
times go with a bowed down back, crying, " Wretched man
that I am, who shall deliver me from this body of sin and
death !"

5. What is it that sets you at work in the mortification of
sin? for the legalist may set himself to mortify sin, as well
as the true believer; but here lies the odds: they are ac-
tuated from different principles. The legalist mortifies sin,
and opposes it merely out of self-love ; that he may be kept
out of hell, or procure a title to heaven : but the true belie-
ver is principally actuated by a principle of love to Christ;
he looks on him whom he has pierced, and this fires him
with resentment ; so that he studies to avenge Christ's quar-
rel by piercing the heart of his most beloved lusts and idols.
The man has a love to Christ, a desire 1o glorify God, and to
maintain fellowship and communion with him: these are the
principal things that constrain him to duty, and restrain him
from sin. And, therefore, turn inwaid, and see whether self-
love, or love to Christ, have the principal influence in your

XVII.] ISSUING FORTH FROM MOUNT ZION. 561

obedience. I do not deny but a desire after the enjoyment
of God in glory, and the eternal happiness of the soul, may
and actually do influence the soul to obedience in a secon-
dary way; but beyond doubt the love of Christ, and the
glory of God, is the ultimate and principal spring of obe-
dience.

6. If you do not see so much weakness and corruption, so
much deadness and distraction, attending your best duties, as
to convince you of the absolute need of the blood of Jesus,
and of his merit and mediation, to render both you and them
acceptable to God, it is an evidence that you are not yet
come off from mount Sinai law as a covenant. The poor
believer, when he has won to the greatest enlargement in
duty, and to the best frame that he can desire, yet he will be
ready to cry out, " If thou, Lord, shouldst mark iniquities ;
O Lord, who shall stand T" He sees himself to be an tin-
profitable servant, and that " his goodness extends not to the
Lord."

7. If you be more concerned to appear well in the externals
of religion, than in an acquaintance with the inward power
of it, it is an evidence that you are yet upon a law-bottom,
like those who cry, " Will the Lord be pleased with thousands
of rams, or with ten thousands of rivers of oil 'f shall I give my
first-born for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the
sin of my soul 1 Wherefore have we fasted, and prayed, and
thou takest no knowledge ?" But the believer, who is come
to mount Zion, although he will not neglect the external du-
ties of religion, yet his particular concern is to grow in inter-
nal holiness, and in conformity of heart and life to the Son of
God, " to have the same mind in him, which was also in Christ
Jesus." He longs to' know more of the power of his resurrec-
tion, of the virtue of his sin-killing blood, and the efficacy of
his Spirit, lifting him up after " things that are above, where
Christ is at the right hand of God ; and if he can win at this,
he is the less careful about the flourishes of a profession,
which is all that the hypocrite and legalist aim at, although in
the mean time he will "flourish like the palm iree, and grow
like the cedars in Lebanon."

8. You who have your hearts filled with enmity and pre-
judice against the children of grace, " the heirs of the pro-
mise," and cannot endure strict and holy walking with God,
but are ready to envy those who you think outshine you, and
have your hearts filled with inward rancour and prejudice
against them, or perhaps mock and persecute them, either
with heart, tongue, or hand, it is an evidence that you are
yet in the confines of Sinai, among the children of the bond-
woman. Gal. iv. 29 : " But as then he that was born after

562 THE LAW OF FAITH [SER.

the flesh persecuted him that was born after the Spirit, even
so it is now." A persecuting spirit, or a spirit of rancour
and envy against those whom we think more holy than our-
selves, and whom we fancy darken us, is a plain evidence
of a legal spirit. They that are of a truly gospel-spirit, are
ready to love the society of saints, whom they think excel
themselves; and the more holy they are, the better they love
them ; the more of the image of God is on them, or in them,
the more desirable will they be to them.

9. If you be come off from mount Sinai to mount Zion,
from the law to the gospel-covenant, then those things which
once you accounted gain, will be but loss in your reckoning.
So soon as Paul was brought off from the law, to be a par-
taker of gospel-grace, what things were gain to him, those he
counted loss for Christ, Phil. iii. 7. What those things are the
legalist accounts gain, which the believer reckons loss for
Christ, you have an account of Phil. iii. 4 — 6, which you
may read and consider at your leisure. So much for trial.
I should now go on to other uses, but 1 proceed no farther
at present.

THE LAW OF FAITH ISSUING FORTH FROM MOUNT ZION.

The law shall go out of Zion. — Isa. ii. 3.

Where is boasting then ? It is excluded. By what law ? of works ? Nay ;
but by the law of faith. — Rom. hi. 27.

THE THIRD SERMON ON THIS SUBJECT.

Some of you may remember, that I have discoursed several
times from the first of these texts, and made some considera-
ble progress in prosecuting the following doctrine from it,
That the gospel is a law of sovereign grace issued forth from
Zion for the behoof of lost simiers, lying under sentence of death,
by virtue of a violated and broken law of works.

Here I endeavoured,

I. To offer some remarks upon the gospel, as it is here
called a law coming out of Zion.

II. Showed why it is called a law.

III. I attempted to publish some of these laws of sovereign
grace from this high place of the city of God.

IV. I endeavoured to speak of the excellency of the law of
grace coming out of Zion.

XVII.] ISSUING FORTH FROM MOUNT ZION. 563

V. To inquire into the differences and agreement betwixt
the law coming out of Zion,and the law coming out of Sinai,
Ignorance of the differences betwixt these two, and of the
connexion and subordination of the one to the other, makes
confused work both in our preaching who are ministers, and
in your practising who are the people.

VI. I endeavoured to make some application, by way of
inference, confutation, and trial.

I have now subjoined another text, which I hope may con-
tribute to illustrate farther what I have been insisting upon
from the former; to wit, Rom. iii. 27: Where is boasting, &c?
Where we may notice, (1.) The nature of that law which
comes out of Zion ; it is called the law of faith." All our
interpreters are agreed that it is the gospel which is here
called "the law of faith" by the apostle; for it is opposed to
the law that enjoins works of obedience in the text. The
gospel is the great instrument of faith ; it reveals the object
of faith ; it is the proper boundary of faith, as the moral law
is the boundary of manners or practice. (2.) We have the
design or tendency of the gospel, or law of faith ; it excludes
boasting. Man was at first ruined by the sin of pride : Ye
shall be as gods, was the grand bait that took with our first
parents. Now, infinite wisdom has laid the plan of our salva-
tion in a direct opposition to that evil of pride ; he will have
man saved in a way of self-abasement : and the gospel, or
law of faith, is the great engine Infinite Wisdom makes use of
for battering down these lofty imaginations of self-righteous-
ness, that exalt themselves against the knowledge of Christ.
The gospel excludes boasting, " no flesh may glory in his pre-
sence; but he that glorieth may glory in the Lord." (3.) We
have the opposition stated between the law of works and the
law of faith; the law of works admits of boasting, but the
law of faith excludes it. Whatever law it be, whether moral,
ceremonial, or judicial, that requires works of righteousness
to be done by us, in order to found our title to life, or accept-
ance before God, it is opposed to the law of faith; because
the law of faith shuts out all manner of works in the busi-
ness of a sinner's justification, and will not admit of any,
even of the least ground of boasting in the creature ; whereas,
" if any man be justified or saved by works, he hath whereof
to glory."

Thus, having grafted this text upon the former, I shall cast
the doctrine into another mould, and you may fake it as fol-
lows : —

Doct. "The gospel, which is the law of faith issued out
from mount Zion, is calculated, by Infinite Wisdom for aba-

564 THE LAW OF FAITH [sER.

sing self, and advancing the sovereignty and freedom of the
grace of God in the salvation of sinners. Where is boasting ?
It is excluded by the law of faith."

Having spoken much already concerning the law coming
forth from Zion ; all I shall do at present, shall only be to
confirm and apply this great truth.

1. For Confirmation there are two things I shall take a
view of. 1. Of the doctrine of faith. 2. Of the grace of
faith. And from thence it will appear that Infinite Wisdom
has so adjusted matters, as to cast down every thing that
stands in the way of the exaltation of sovereign grace in the
salvation of the sinner.

Only, before I proceed, allow me to premise, that although
the law as a covenant, or abstractly considered, admits of
boasting, upon a supposition that we could fulfil it ; yet as it
stands in our Bible, in a subserviency to the great ends of
the gospel, even considered as a covenant, it is a schoolmaster
to lead us out of ourselves into Christ, who is " the end of the
law for righteousness to every one that believeth."

Since the fall of Adam, the law was never given to man,
that he should stay in the law, or in the works thereof, as the
ground of his acceptance or salvation. Perhaps you may
think this strange, yet it is a certain truth, if the scriptures be
the word of God, the law is weak for the justification and
salvation of a sinner; yea, " it is added because of trans-
gressions," to discover sin, that sinners may flee to ariother
quarter for relief than the law, even to Christ, in whom it
has its end and accomplishment. So that, I say, even the
law, as it stands in a subserviency to a go.'pel dispensation, is
designed of God for stopping the mouths of sinners, " that no
flesh should glory in his presence." But that which I have
principally in view at present is, first, to let you see that the
gospel, or the law of faith, excludes boasting in the creature,
or that it is calculated for abasing self, and exalting the free-
dom of grace in the salvation of sinners. This will appear,

1. From gospel declarations or testimonies: Eph. ii. 8:
" By grace are ye saved, through faith ; and that not of your-
selves : it is the gift of God :" ver. 9 : " Not of works, lest
any man should boast," &c. Where you see that self is
stripped of every thing that might afford matter of boasting,
and the whole glory of our salvation ascribed to grace, and
to grace only. What is the first gospel-lesson that Christ the
great gospel prophet teaches his scholars? It is just this:
" If any man will be my disciple, let him deny himself:" that
is, he must renounce his own wisdom, his own righteousness,
holiness, and every thing on which he laid the stress of his

XVII.] ISSUING FORTH FROM MOUNT ZION. "565

salvation, or the ground of his hope, and be content to lie
down at the foot of sovereign grace, as " wretched, miserable,
poor, blind, and naked," to receive all in a way of free grace.
This lesson the apostle Paul learned well, Phil. iii. 7, S :
"What tilings were gain to me, .those I counted loss for Christ.
Yea, doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excel-
lency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord," &c. We
find him every where renouncing self and giving the glory
of all to free grace. Whatever he was, he owed it not to
himself, but to grace. " By grace I am what I am ;" what-
ever he did, he gives the glory of it to grace: " Not I, but the
grace of God in me."

2. This is evident from gospel interrogations or questions,
which are of such a nature as to stop the mouth of all flesh
from boasting. You have two or three of them in the very
words of my text ; Where is boasting ? It is excluded. By
what law ? of works ? Nay, but by the law of faith. You have
the like train of silencing questions, 1 Cor. iv. 7 : " Who ma-
keth thee to differ from another'? and what hast thou that
thou didst not receive? now if thou didst receive it, why dost
thou glory as if thou hadst not received it ?" It is a vain spi-
rit that glories in borrowed robes.

3. This is evident from the gospel way of reckoning. It
is a strange way the apostle directs us to, Rom. vi. 11:
" Reckon ye yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin ; but alive
unto God through Jesus Christ." A believer must never
reckon upon what he is, has, or has done ; but he must reckon
upon what he is, has, or has done, in his glorious Head and
Surety. When he looks to himself, he reckons that he is a
dead man, dead in law, condemned already, under sentence of
death, and spiritually dead under the power of sin; but, on
the other hand, he must reckon himself " alive unto God,
through Jesus Christ." Thus, the apostle reckons, and teaches
us to reckon also, Col. iii. 3 : "Ye are dead, but your life is
hid with Christ in God ;" so, Gal. ii. 20 : "I am crucified
with Christ : nevertheless I live ; yet not I, but Christ liveth
in me." As if he had said, I live ; what is this I am saying?
I have mistaken my reckoning, I am reckoning wrong when
I say that / live ; for it is " not I that live, but Christ that
liveth in me." So let us see how they reckon upon the head
of righteousness. Paul was, " touching the law, blameless,"
before his conversion ; and after bis conversion, " he knew
nothing by himself," or he knew nothing in which his con-
science condemned him ; but does he look on this as the
ground of his acceptance before God 1 No, " I know nothing
by myself, yet am I not hereby justified :" he reckons all his
righteousness before and after his conversion, but $kv%xx*

vol. i. 48

566 THE LAW OF FAITH [sEK

dogs' meat, the vilest of things, " that he might be found in
Christ," not having his own righteousness, which is of the
law, but that which is through the faith of Christ," &c. See
the gospel reckoning on the score of righteousness, Is. xlv.
24 : " Surely, shall one say, In the Lord," not in myself,
" have I righteousness." — Again ; how do they reckon upon
the point of strength 1 O, says Paul, " I am not sufficient of
myself to think any thing as of myself; .but my sufficiency
is of the Lord ;" but, though I be not sufficient for any thing
in and of myself, yet " I can do all things through Christ
strengthening me. Surely, in the Lord, shall one say, have I
righteousness and strength." Christ is the fountain of their
strength, and they reckon themselves strong, not in their
own, but " in the power of his might." Thus, you see that
the whole tendency of the gospel way of reckoning is always
to carry the creature out of itself, that it may not glory in
itself, but in the Lord, and in his free grace.

4. Let us take a view of the gospel-doctrines, and we shall
find they are all levelled for this glorious end of sinking self,
and exalting the freedom of the grace of God through Christ
in the salvation of sinners. There we are taught that man
has ruined himself, but his recovery is only by grace, Hos.
xiii. 9 : " O Israel, thou hast destroyed thyself, but in me is
thine help." Where is boasting then ? It is excluded by the lazo
of faith. In the gospel we have the doctrine of regenera-
tion or effectual calling. Well, what interest has the man in
his own regeneration? Even as little as the infant has in its
formation in its mother's belly? John i. 13 : " We are born,
not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of
man, but of God." Grace, and not self, must have the glory
of that. Again ; there is the doctrine of justification ; how
admirably is that laid for abasing self, and all our works of
righteousness, that grace may have the glory ! " We are
justified freely by his grace, through the redemption that is in
Jesus Christ." Then, there is the doctrine of our adoption
and sonship. Do we put ourselves among the children 1 No,
it is grace that does it ; it is " he that gives us power, right,
or privilege to become {he sons of God. — Behold, what man-
ner of love is this, that the Father hath bestowed upon us,
that we should be called the sons of God." Then, for the
doctrine of sanctification. Do we wash and cleanse ourselves?
No, it is grace that does it, it is " the beauty of the Lord our
God; we are beautiful through the comeliness he puts upon
us." And, for the doctrine of perseverance, or standing in a
stale of grace: do we keep ourselves in that state ? No, not
we ; but it is " he that keeps us by his power through faith
unto salvation." In a word, the whole of the gospel doctrine

XVII.] ISSUING FORTH FROM MOUNT ZION. 567

is ever levelled for this end to beat down self, " that he who
glorieth, may glory in the Lord."

5. Let us consider the tendency of gospel parables. Christ
was a parabolical preacher, he commonly taught by simili-
tudes, many of which, if not all, if duly considered, are al-
ways to lead sinners out of themselves. To instance only in
two or three : we read, Luke xv. of the parable of the pro-
digal son. What is the scope of it, but to let sinners see
they are a set of poor bankrupts, that have squandered away
all the stock they received in the first Adam, that so they
may have recourse to the mercy and grace of God in Christ?
We read of the parable of the Pharisee and publican, how
the one boasted of his good deeds, and the other stood afar
off trembling under a sense of sin, looking to the mercy of
God in Christ, and " he went home to his house justified rather
than the other." Again ; we have the parable of the wise
and foolish virgins : what is the design in that, but that sin-
ners may not rest themselves satisfied with any thing of their
own, be it a profession, or any seeming grace in themselves,
but that they may go to the market of grace to buy that oil,
which is in the dwellings of the wise, which alone will make
acceptable at the coming of the great Bridegroom 1 Again,
to add one more, we have the parable of the wise merchant ;
the scope of which is, to lead sinners out of themselves, for
they must sell all, that they may buy the pearl ; they must re-
nounce themselves, and all their good qualifications, and be-
take themselves to the free grace of God in Christ.

6. I might clear this by the tenor of the gospel covenant
and promises, the new covenant by which we are saved.
What sort of a covenant is it? It is a covenant of grace;
that is, a covenant calculated for abasing self, and exalting
the freedom of the grace of God in the sinner's salvation. The
covenant itself is not a covenant of our making, but of God's
making. Indeed, we read of covenants made by men in scrip-
ture, Psal. 1. 5 : " Those that have made a covenant with me
by sacrifice." Israel entered into covenant with the Lord.
But those covenants that are made by us, are only engage-
ments to duty in the strength of that grace that is promised
in the covenant of grace, which is not of our making, but of
God's making: "I will make with you an everlasting cove-
nant : 1 have made a covenant with my chosen : I will make
an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mercies of
David," and the like. Again ; self is ready to creep in, and
to make terms and conditions, and qualifications of our own,
to interest us in this covenant, and the blessings of it : but this
covenant is so framed by Infinite Wisdom, as to exclude all
these, that no man may boast ; for the promises of it are so

568 THE LAW OF FAITH [SER.

framed, as every thing is freely bestowed without regard
either to any good or ill in the creature. It runs in the form
of a testamentary deed or gift, than which nothing can be con-
ceived more free; "I will be their God; I will be merciful
to their unrighteousness ; 1 will see their ways, and heal them;"
that is, I will do this and that of my own sovereign grace
without regarding the creature's qualifications. This will far-
ther appear —

7. If we consider the tenor of gospel calls and invitations
to receive Christ, and to take hold of God's covenant of grace.
Is the invitation or call to them that are so and so qualified \
Is it to the righteous or holy? No; "I came not to call the
righteous, but sinners to repentance." Is it to them that have
money or price to recommend them? No, Is. lv. 1: "Ho
every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that
hath no money ; come ye, buy and eat, yea, come, buy wine
and milk without money, and without price." Is it to them
that have their stock to the fore ? No, it is to those that are
debtors and bankrupts: "Thou art wretched, miserable, poor,
and naked ; therefore I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried
in the fire :" it is to the blind, the maim, the halt, the wretch-
ed ; and, in a word, it is to every creature under heaven, if
it be on this side of hell. 'Thus, you see that the law of faith
or gospel is calculated for debasing self, and for exalting the
freedom of the grace of God in the salvation of sinners through
Christ.

Secondly, As the gospel or law of faith, so the grace of faith
is calculated for taking the sinner off his own bottom and ex-
alting the freedom of the grace of God in our salvation. Now,
the aptitude of the grace of faith for preventing boasting in
the creature, and exalting the freedom of grace, will appear
by the following particulars: —

1. Faith is a mere receiving or taking grace; so we find it
expressed in John i. 12; Col. ii. 6; Rev. xxii. 17. This con-
stitutes the very soul and essence of faith, to take or receive
all, but give nothing. All other graces of the Spirit give
something to God. Love gives him a warm and glowing
heart ; repentance a melting and bleeding heart ; obedience
a working hand; patience a broad back for bearing burdens;
fear a trembling heart : but, as for faith, it is of such a beg-
garly nature, that it does not come to give, but to get, or take
all from the Lord; hence it is called "an opening of the
mouth to be filled." The whole of our salvation, as it lies in
a covenant of grace, from first to last, is a mere gift of sove-
reign grace : " I will give grace and glory, and my Son for a
covenant to the people," and in him the new heart and new
spirit, peace and pardon, and all " the sure mercies of David."

XVII. J ISSUIXG FORTH FROM MOUNT ZION. 569

Now, what grace could be so fit for the purpose of God in
the salvation of sinners by this covenant as faith, which is a
mere. recipient? You know a liberal giver wants only a re-
ceiver. Now, such a thing is faith; it just receives or takes
in what God gives in his bounty to man in the covenant of
grace. I think it is remarkable what is said of Lydia, when
she believed at the hearing of Paul's sermon, Acts xvi. 14:
" God opened her heart to attend unto the things which were
spoken of Paul." In the original, it is, " God opened her heart
to take them to her," namely, the things which Paul spake,
God opened her heart to take them in, or to receive them,
Acts xxvi. 18 : " That they may receive remission of sins, and
inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is
in me." Now, if faith be nothing else but a receiving, where
is boasting? It is excluded by the grace of faith, as well as the
gospel, which is the law of faith.

2. As faith is a mere receiver, so it will receive nothing but
what comes out of the hand of free grace. If you offer any
thing to faith in a way of debt, or as a reward due to itself,
it will shake its hands from holding any such bribe, and cry,
Away with any thing that savours of debt, it is none of mine.
Faith will trade at no market but that of grace, where no
money passes, and where no price or bartering is in fashion ;
hence it is said to " buy without money, and without price,"
Is. Iv. 1. Hence it is that faith and works are opposed to one
another in scripture, particularly Rom. iv. 5: "To him that
worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly,"
&c. Works claim privileges in a way of debt, but faith on
the score of grace, and refuses to have them another way ;
yea, so averse is faith from the merit of works, that it refuses
to be reckoned among the category of acts of obedience in the
matter of justification, so that it excludes its own act ; for it
is not by the act, but the object of faith that we are justified :
Where is boasting then ? Surely it is excluded by the law and
grace of faith.

3. This will farther appear, if we consider, that faith will
receive nothing but as it lies in a word of grace, a promise,
a covenant, or offer of grace. This is the very genius of faith,
that it intermeddles with the blessings and privileges which it
receives, only on the warrant of God's word of grace, in which
he has gifted or granted them to us, as it is well worded in
our confession; faith receives and applies Christ and his sal-
vation, by virtue of a covenant of grace. And in this lies one
main difference between presumption and saving faith, that
presumptuous faith gripes at the gift of grace, but not by virtue
of a covenant of grace; it will take nothing without the com-
mand of God as its warrant, or his promise as its encourage*

48*

570 THE LAW QF FAITH [SEK,

merit ; and having these two in its eye, it is sure it cannot be
guilty of vicious intromission. Let faith once fix on the pro-
mise of God, and let it see God commanding it to receive the
promise, and thing promised, then it will triumph and sayr
" God hath spoken in his holiness, I will rejoice ; Gilead is
mine," God is mine, Christ is mine, the Spirit is mine, peace
is mine, pardon and glory are mine, because " God hath spo-
ken in his holiness ; and this is all my salvation." Thus, I
say, faith goes upon the ground of the promise; it knows no
other law but the law of faith ; and therefore it must needs
exclude boasting, and be calculated only for advancing the
freedom of grace.

4. This will yet farther appear, if we consider that faith
has no will of its own, but only the will of sovereign grace.
As it is said of the marigold, that it opens and shuts with the
sun, and turns itself round with it, holding an exact corre-
spondence with it ; so does the grace of faith hold an exact
correspondence with God's will of grace in the word, or co-
venant of grace. As the human nature of Christ united to the
divine, did not act as a distinct person, and had not a will of
its own separate from the divine, but was wholly resolved
into the will of the divine nature ; so faith has no will but
God's will of grace ; God's will of grace is the will of faith,
and faith is the echo of the will of grace intimated in the
word. Says grace, " I will be their God, I am the Lord thy
God ;" Amen, says faith, and that is my will too. " I will
heal their backslidings," says grace : Even so be it, that is
my will too, says faith. " I will sprinkle them, and cleanse
them from all their filthiness, and from all their idols :" Amen,
says faith, that is my will too. " This is the will of a God
of grace, even our sanctification ;" O, says faith, that is just
what I will too. Thus, you see that it is calculated merely
for advancing God's will of grace, consequently for excluding
boasting.

5. Faith will address no throne but a throne of grace.
Bring faith to a throne of justice, it " stands afar off', smites
on the breast," and cries, ""If thou, Lord, shouldst mark ini-
quities ; O Lord, who shall ststnd ?" and, therefore, " God,
have mercy on me a sinner ; for in thy sight no living can
be justified." Faith has no work or business at a throne of
justice. But bring faith within view of a throne of grace,
which has justice satisfied, and judgment executed on the
Son of God for its basis and foundation, and then it will gather,
spirits and courage, saying, Heb. iv. 16, "Let us come boldly
unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and
find grace to help in time of need. Heb. x. 19, 20, &c.
" Having, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the

XVII.] ISSUING FORTH FROM MOUNT ZION. 571

blood of Jesus, by a new and living way, &c. let us draw
near with a true heart, in full assurance of faith." Now, seeing
it does not deal with a tribunal of justice, but only with a
mercy-seat, it follows that faith excludes boasting in the crea-
ture, and is levelled for the exaltation of grace only.

6. Faith will have no praise or glory to itself, but gives all
the glory to grace, and to grace alone. We are told that
God will not give his glory to another; and yet we find him
giving his glory to the grace of faith. Sometimes we find
him giving it the glory of his omnipotence ; " To him who be-
lieveth all things are possible ;" and faith will speak like a
little omnipotent : " I can do all things." Sometimes we find
him giving it the glory of the forgiving and pardoning of sin,
which is his alone prerogative : we " receive the remission of
sins through faith in his blood." The cleansing of the heart
is God's prerogative, and yet it is ascribed to faith, Acts xv.
9 : " purifying their hearts by faith." Now, why, think you,
will God set his own crown upon the head of the grace of
faith, Which he will not do to men or angels, or any creature
whatsoever? Why, the plain reason is, because faith is such
an honest self-denied kind of thing, that it will have no glory
to itself, but turns all back again upon the grace of God; say-
ing, " Not unto us, not unto us, but unto thy name be the glory."
Whatever a man does by faith, he will be far from boasting
in himself, or grace received ; it pays the rent of praise full
tale to the grace of God alone, without keeping back the least
mite, as Ananias and Sapphira did, and as all hypocrites do.
It is true, will faith say, "I can do all things;'' but it is
" through Christ strengthening me." It is true, 1 have a per-
fect righteousness ; but it is " in the Lord, surely, that I have
righteousness ; in him will I be justified, and in him will I
glory." It is true, I purify the heart ; but it is by the Spirit
and blood of Jesus that I do it. I have forgiveness ; but it is
in his blood. I have a title to a reward of glory; but not as
a reward of my labour, but as the travail of Christ's soul :
ihe reward is a debt due to him, and not to me. I am an
heir of God; bat it is by being a joint heir with Christ. Thus,
then, you see, that the grace of faith, as well as the doctrine
or law of faith, is calculated for abasing self, and advancing
the glory of the grace of God in the salvation of sinners; and
therefore we may, on the whole, well say with the apostle in
the text, 14 here is boasl'mg then ? It is excluded. By what lazv ?
of works? JVay ; but by the law of faith.

II. The next thing in the method was the Application. And
the frst use shall be for Information in the following particu-
lars:—

1. Then, See from this doctrine, that boasters are none of

572 THE LAW OF FAITH [SER.

God's favourites, whatever they may think of themselves ;
why, boasting is excluded by the gospel. Yea, so far are
they from being the favourites, that if we consult the records
of scripture, we shall find that all along he has had a particu-
lar pique and quarrel with them, Is. ii. 12 : " The day of the
Lord of hosts shall be upon every one that is proud and lofty,
and upon every one that is lifted up, and he shall be brought
low." Pharaoh was a proud boaster: " I will pursue, I will
overtake, I will divide the spoil: Who is the Lord that I should
obey him ?" But what comes of his boasting 1 He is made
to sink like lead, and his whole army, in the mighty waters.
So Sennacherib makes his boast : " By the multitude of my
chariots am I come up to the height of the mountains, to the
sides of Lebanon, and I will cut down the tall cedars there-
of, and the choice fir trees thereof: and I will enter into the
height of his border, and the forest of his Carmel." So Nebu-
chadnezzar: "Is not this great Babylon, that I have built for
the house of the kingdom, by the might of my power, and for
the honour of my majesty?" But how remarkably those
mighty boasters were abased and brought down, the sacred
story records : the army of one overthrown by an angel of
God, and the other herded among the beasts of the field. Herod
is proud of his fine oration, and receives the applause of the
people (" It is the voice of a god, and not of a man,") with-
out giving them any check ; therefore the angel of the Lord
smites him, and he is eaten of worms. Hezekiah makes his
boast of his treasures and precious things to the king of Ba-
bylon's ambassadors, sent to congratulate his recovery : and
therefore the Lord tells him, that his posterity and precious
things should be carried captive to Babylon. David, through
the pride of his heart, will have Joab to number the people,
that he might have it to boast of, that he was King over so
many thousands; and therefore the angel of the Lord is sent,
who cuts off' seventy thousand of Israel in three days' time, by
a raging pestilence. But sav you, Though God will not allow
his people to boast of these external things, yet will he not
allow them to boast of their graces, manifestations, and expe-
riences ? I answer, No, he will not allow them to boast of
these, either. David gets a sweet visit from the Lord, and he
begins to boast of it, Psal. xxx. 6, 7, Now, says he, "My moun-
tain stands strong ; I shall never be moved :" but the Lord
soon gives him a check, as appears from the words immediate-
lv following, " Thou didst hide thy face, and I was troubled.'"
The apostle Paul was " wrapt up to the third heaven," and
was in danger of pride, " through abundance of revelations:"
but will the Lord countenance this? No, no : to hide pride and
boasting from him, " a thorn in the flesh is sent, a messenger

XVII.] ISSUING FORTH FROM MOUNT ZION. 573

of Satan to buffet him, lest he should be lifted up above mea-
sure." So that you see God is an enemy to all boasting : he al-
lows of no boasting but boasting like that of David, " My soul
shall make her boast in God;" or like that of Paul, ''Who shall
separate me from the love of Christ?" &c. He allows the
boasting of faith, but not of sense. And I am persuaded, that
this is one great reason why the Lord's people are kept so
long in the wilderness under desertion, temptation, and the
like, and why he hides his face from them, because he sees
that if they were lifted up with manifestations, they could not
bear it.

2. See from this doctrine the excellency and necessity of
this grace of faith. Why, it is by faith we answer the de-
sign of the gospel or law of faith. What in all the world
can answer the law of faith, if it be not faith 1 The law of
commandments must be answered by practice, and the law
of faith by believing. Faith is such an excellent thing that
it just embraces the whole revelation in the gospel, and says
amen to it ; it " sets to the seal, that God is true."

3. See hence the criminal nature of unbelief, which tram-
ples both law and gospel. It tramples on the law of com-
mandments, and the authority of the great Law-giver ; for
" this is his commandment, that we should believe on the name
of his Son Jesus Christ," 1 John iii. 23 ; and this his command-
ment he has fenced with an awful penalty, "He that be-
lieveth not is condemned already." Now, unbelief despises
both the law and the penalty of it, and in effect says, with
proud Pharaoh, " Who is the Lord that 1 should obey him '!"
And, as for the law of faith, or the gospel, and the promises
of it, unbelief tramples on these also, and says God is not
worthy of credit, " He that believeth not God hath made him
a liar." O tremble at unbelief.

4. See, hence, whence it is that believers may have such
boldness and assurance when they come before a throne of
grace. Why, the man has law, even " the law of faith," on
his side, and this gives him courage. You know, a man that
has the law on his side, holds up his head in court, and looks
with an air of courage, and will speak with boldness to the
judge. Well, this is the case with the believer ; he has the
law of faith, the gospel, and all the promises of it, on his side,
and he binds the Lord with his own laws and acts of grace,
Heb. x. 22 : " Let us draw near, with a true heart, in full as-
surance of faith ;" and then, ver. 23, it is added, " For faith-
ful is he that hath promised." God has enacted, that we shall
have " access into the holiest by the blood of Jesus," that
he will accept of us in the new and living way ;" and there-

574 THE LAW OF FAITH [sER.

fore, " let us draw near with a true heart, in full assurance
of faith."

5. See, hence, one great difference betwixt faith and pre-
sumption, betwixt a gospel and legal spirit. A legal, pre-
sumptuous spirit, is a boasting spirit; but a gospel-spirit, a
spirit of true faith, is an humble, self-emptied spirit. The
presumptuous legalist comes boasting, with the proud Phari-
see, " God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men," &c. ;
but the true believer comes with lowliness of spirit, like the
poor publican, building his hope only on the mercy of God,
intimated in the gospel or law of faith, "he stands afar off,
crying, God have mercy upon me a sinner." The language
of the one is, Let self be exalted; but the language of the
other is, O let grace, grace alone, be exalted through the
blood of a Redeemer in my salvation: and that is one reason
why believers are in scripture described humble and poor, be-
cause they are emptied of all boasting of themselves, and
have submitted to the law of faith, by which boasting is ex-
eluded.

6. See, hence, how it is (hat some, yea, most believers,
steal away to heaven without any great noise, the world
knowing little about them. Why, they are no boasters ; they
do not, like the Pharisee, proclaim their goodness to the
world ; no, they are hidden ones, hid from the world, and hid
from themselves ; they see nothing but emptiness in them-
selves, and when they compare themselves with others, they
think they are the greatest of sinners, and the least of all
saints. The law of faith, which they are under, excludes
boasting; it is calculated for levelling the pride of the heart,
and exalting the freedom of grace only.

7. See, hence, that self, in all the branches of it, is diame-
trically opposite to the spirit of the gospel ; why, the law of
faith is calculated for levelling self. It was not without rea-
son, that Christ has told us, "If any man will be his disciple,
he must deny himself." We must deny our own reason; car-
nal reason cannot know, it " cannot receive the things of the
Spirit of God." We must deny our own will, and yield to
the will of grace revealed in the gospel, or " law of faith."
We must deny our own righteousness, and submit unto the
righteousness of Christ. And, oh ! how hard a pull is it to
bring the sinner to deny these three branches of self! Yet
they must be denied ; otherwise we cannof be disciples of
Christ.

8. See hence, what judgment we are to form of a proud
spirit. Let a man's parts and endowments be ever so bright,
yet if he be proud of them, he wants the true spirit of the

XVII.] ISSUING FORTH FROM MOUNT ZION. 575

gospel ; and in so far he is under the law of works, which ad-
mits boasting in the creature.

9. See that humility is a glorious gospel-ornament, a self-
denied spirit : " To this man will I look, even to him that is
poor, and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word.
Though God be high, yet hath he a respect unto the lowly."
The richest wines of the gospel consolation are laid up in the
lowest heart: " He giveth grace to the humble," &c.

10. See, hence, the difference betwixt gospel and legal
preaching, and what it is that makes an able minister of the
New Testament, namely, to rid marches well betwixt the
law of works and the law of faith ; to level at the beating
down of self, and the exalting of the freedom of grace in the
salvation of sinners through Christ; to be a faithful herald in
proclaiming and intimating the law of faith, and the whole
counsel of God respecting salvation.

Use secotid is of Exhortation. Has God issued out a law of
grace from mount Zion, for the benefit of lost sinners sinking
under the curse of the law of works'! and is this law so cal-
culated by Infinite Wisdom for abasing self, and exalting the
freedom of grace in the salvation of sinners? O then, for the
Lord's sake, and for your own soul's sake, let me call all
hearing me to come away from mount Sinai to mount Zion;
come away from the law of works, which condemns the
whole race of Adam in bulk, and receive the law of faith ;
take the benefit of these acts and edicts of grace that are ad-
mitted in the gospel from a throne of grace. Sirs, it is ordi-
nary for kings, when they enact laws at court, showing the
duty, or establishing the interest and privilege of the subject,
to send their heralds to intimate and proclaim them in the
public places of concourse, that none may pretend ignorance;
but when they have done so, they leave it to every man to
take the benefit of the law or not, as he has a mind. But
the great King, whose name is gracious and merciful, not
only orders us to intimate and proclaim the beneficial laws
of sovereign grace, but he has given us express orders to urge
and compel you to come in," and take the benefit of his acts
of grace. And therefore, that I may act according to my
commission from the Lord, I must be allowed to make use of
some few arguments to engage your compliance with my ex-
hortation. O sirs, quit and renounce the law of works, and
take the benefit of the law of faith.

Motive 1. Shall be drawn from the consideration of the evil
and danger of cleaving to mount Sinai-law for righteousness.
And this will appear, if you consider,

1st. That, since the fall of Adam, the mount Sinai-law ne-
ver brought righteousness or life to any of his posterity ; no,

576 THE LAW OP FAITH [SER.

no, "the law is weak through the flesh," says the apostle,
Rom. viii. 3: it is strong to condemn the sinner; but, through
the corruption of nature, and our weakness to obey, it is be-
come weak and insufficient to give life to us. The apostle
tells us Gal. iii. 21, that " if there had been a law given which
could have given life, verily righteousness should have been
by the law :" where he plainly supposes, that no command-
ing law since the fall can possibly give life or righteousness to
man; yea, so far is the law of commandments incapable to
give life, that it sends the whole family of Adam to hell to-
gether: " Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things
which are written in the book of the law to do them."

2dly, This law of works or commandments requires and
exacts of you what is impossible as a term or condition of life,
and that is perfect or sinless obedience. 'No mere man since
the fall is able perfectly to keep the commandments of God ;'
and yet this law will not abate one ace; it "requires brick,
but gives no straw ;" it requires obedience, but gives no
strength ; yea, it exacts as much service and obedience of a
sick man, as though he were perfectly sound, of fallen man,
as though he was in his primitive integrity. It is a common
foolish notion of many ignorant people, that if they yield sin-
cere obedience, and do as well as they can in obedience to
the commandments of God, God will accept of that in the
room of that perfect righteousness which the law required in
innocence. But beware of hazarding your souls upon such a
damnable delusion; for the law of God must have not only a
sincere, but perfect and sinless obedience, or nothing; if you
do not continue in all things written in the book of the law
to do them, the curse of the law takes place. Indeed, sin-
cere obedience is admitte'd as a return of gratitude to God
upon the soul's closing with, and submitting to, the perfect
righteousness of Christ, but not as a ground of acceptance
before God, either in part or whole: and if you but imagine in
your heart, that your own imperfect obedience, though ever
so sincere, will be a ground of acceptance, or a title to life,
either in part or whole, you "become a debtor to do the
whole law," Gal. v. 3.

3r//y, So long as you cleave to the law as a covenant, there
is a hand-writ his; standing against you before God uncancelled,
the justice of God has a bond over your head: " The sin of
Judah is written before him as with a pen of iron, and the
point of a diamond." This hand-writing is never cancelled
till you believe in Christ, and submit to his righteousness; no,
no, you are " condemned already, and the wrath of God
abideth on you." But at that moment you quit the law as
a covenant, and take the benefit of the gospel, or law of

XVII.] ISSUING FORTH FROM MOUNT ZION. 577

grace, the " Surety of the better testament" comes in betwixt
you and all obligations the law has upon you; and then " there
is no more condemnation." Who can lay any thing to your
charge?

4thly, While you are within the confines of mount Sinai-
law, a lowering cloud pregnant with wrath hangs over your
head, which will infallibly dissolve in a tempest of wrath, to
the everlasting ruin of your souls, unless you make your es-
cape to mount Zion, and take the benefit of the law of grace:
" Snares, fire and brimstone, and a horrible tempest, this
shall be the portion of your cup." Perhaps you may be cry-
ing, Peace, peace : but what will that avail, seeing God says
otherwise, " There is no peace, saith my God, unto the wick-
ed V

bthly, It is no wonder though God have a controversy with
you, while you cleave to the law of works ; for while you do
so, you are running directly cross to God in the greatest de-
sign ever he had in hand, which is the glorious work of re-
demption through Jesus Christ : Gal. ii. 21: " If righteousness
come by the law, then Christ died in vain." The opening
up " a new and living way to the holiest by the blood of Je-
sus," is the chief of the ways of God, the very master piece
of Infinite Wisdom : but now while you cleave to the law,
and seek righteousness by it, you are running counter to
God's design of grace, doing what in you lies to condemn
and shut up that "new and living way which God has opened,
and to frustrate the design of the incarnation and death of
the eternal Son of God : Gal. v. 4 : " Christ is become of no
effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law ;
ye are fallen from grace."

Glhly, To cleave to mount Sinai-law, in point of righteous-
ness, is the greatest folly and madness in the world ; why,
because the law of works, or the law covenant, is broken,
and can serve you in no stead for salvation ; yea the breach
of it was intended by Infinite Wisdom as an inlet to the law
of faith, or the gospel method of salvation by Christ, and his
everlasting righteousness. I was hinting formerly, that since
the fall of man, the law was never given, that man might
stay in it as a ground of hope, but that by it he might be
carried beyond the law to Christ, who is "the end of the law
for righteousness." And now 1 shall adventure to say more,
That when God gave the law to Adam in innocence, in the
form of a covenant, he never designed that man's happiness
should stand upon that footing ; no, the covenant of works
was only designed as a scaffold for rearing up a more glo-
rious building of grace and mercy, which God has said "shall
be built up for ever," Psal. Ixxxix. 2. Now, what strange

vol. i. 49

578 THE LAW OF FAITH [sEK.

madness is it for a man to keep by the scaffold, when the
fabric for which it was erected is complete and finished ! O
sirs, "Wisdom hath builded her house, she hath hewn out her
seven pillars ;" her house is finished, provided, and accom-
modated with every thing needful for the sinner's salva-
tion. Why then will you stay longer upon the broken
scaffold of the law, as though by it you could make your
way to heaven 1 Christ is the only bridge of communication
betwixt God and man ; no Mediator but he, " no coming to
the Father but by him." O then do not adventure to pass
the gulf upon the broken shreds and planks of your own lame
righteousness by the works of the law, lest you go to the
bottom : " As many as are of the works of the law, are under
the curse," Gal. iii. 10. O will you choose rather to risk the
salvation of your souls for ever, than venture on the obe-
dience and satisfaction of Christ, the alone " foundation God
hath laid in Zion ?" For the Lord's sake, then, take care
what you do.

Mot. 2. To persuade you to quit the law of works, the
mount Sinai-law as a covenant, and to fall in with the law
of faith, I mean, to take the benefit of the glorious gospel,
and the promises of it, will you but Consider what advantage-
ous discoveries the gospel makes to the miserable sinner :
it discovers and presents to him whatever he needs or wants
in that miserable situation he is reduced to by the fall.

Is/, O sinner, thou wantest a ransom unto justice, that
thou mayst not go down to the pit. Well, here it is, Christ
is the ransom; "He gave himself a ransom for many;" and
he is set forth, in the gospel, " as a propitiation through faith
in his blood." Tell me, sirs, you that cleave to the law of
works, can the law afford you this? No, by no means, Rom.
viii. 3. All your doings will not do the business, yea, though
yrou were but guilty of one sinful thought in your whole life,
that one flaw in your obedience renders the law weak to save
you, and is like a dead fly, which makes all your obedience to
stink ; and will ever such a stinking obedience be a ransom
for a soul 1 Nothing can be a ransom for a guilty soul but
blood: "Without the shedding of blood there is no remission
of sin :" Blood, blood is the demand of justice, either the
blood of the sinner, or of the Surety, and no less blood than
the blood of an infinite person can be admitted. Now, the
gospel, I say, discovers and presents this ransoming and- ato-
ning blood, by which all the demands of justice are answered
to the full.

2d It/, Art thou in a starving condition, like to drop down
for want of soul-food, like the poor prodigal, who, in a far
country, was perishing for want, attempting to fill thy belly

XVII.] ISSUING FORTH FROM MOUNT ZION". 579

with husks of carnal comforts, or of legal duties, but still
findest thy soul empty ? Well, the gospel casts up a ban-
queting-house, where thou mayest " eat that which is good,
and delight thyself with abundance of fatness," Is. lv. 2. To
this purpose is that, Is. xxv. G : " In this mountain," namely
mount Zion, or the gospel church, " shall the Lord of hosts
make unto all people a feast of fat things, a feast of wines
on the lees, of fat things full of marrow, of wines on the lees
well refined. Wisdom hath not only builded her house, but
she hath mingled her wine, killed her failings, and made all
things ready." Christ, the bread of life, is ready for the star-
ving sinner ; no more but to take and eat, to receive and ap-
ply him, and his whole fulness. O then take the benefit of
the law of faith ; fall in with the gospel call and invitation.

2dly, O sinner, there is a loathsome disease that cleaves
fast to thee, thou art " full of wounds, bruises, and putrefying
sores, from the crown of the head even to the sole of the foot,
which have not been bound up, nor mollified with ointment."
Well, the gospel tells thee, that there is "balm in Gilead, and
a physician there," whose name is Jehovah Rophi, " I am
the Lord that healeth thee." O sirs, Christ is the sinner's
Saviour, the sinner's physician ; and every sinner has as good
right to come to him, as such, as ever a wounded or sick man
in a regiment had to call for the help of the physician or
chirurgeon of that regiment ; the very office of a physician
obliges him to serve the sick. Now, Christ being a physi-
cian by office, warrants the lost sinner to come to him with
his dying, diseased soul ; and, beyond perad venture, whoever
comes to him, he will not, not, not cast him out.

Athlij, O sinner, thou art polluted and defiled " among the
pots," spotted like the leopard, black like the Ethiopian.
Well, the gospel discovers " a fountain opened to the house
of David, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, for sin, and
for uncleanness." O come and wash in this fountain, in the
Jordan of a Redeemer's blood : and " though ye have lien
among the pots, ye shall be like the wings of a dove." Do
not say you have no right to come to the fountain, for you
have God's command to wash, to " make you clean," Is. i.
16. He has promised to " sprinkle you with clean water,"
Ezek. xxxvi. 25.

blhly, The gospel, or law of faith, presents thee with a
robe to cover the " shame of thy nakedness," even the best
robe that heaven can afford : Rev. iii. 18 : "I counsel thee to
buy of me white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and
that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear." Suppose
you were stripped naked, going from door to door, seeking a
rag to cover you, if one should present you with clothes,

580 THE LAW OF FAITH [SER.

and put them upon you, would you not reckon yourself
obliged to that person ? Well, this is thy case : thy soul is
naked before God ; but here is " a robe of righteousness, and
a garment of salvation," presented in the gospel, to cover
thee, '; Hearken unto me, ye that are stout-hearted, and far
from righteousness. I bring near my righteousness : it shall
not be far off." The law of works is "a bed too short, a
covering too narrow" for a sinner. Thy righteousness by
the law is as filthy rags, and instead of a covering, does but
deform and defile the soul; but here is a clothing, bright like
the sun, Rev. xii. 1, and every one that puts it on by faith,
<; shall shine as the sun in the kingdom of the Father." Our
first parents, whenever they found themselves naked, fell at
work to sew fig-leaves together for aprons to cover their
shame, until God provided them coats of skins, probably skins
of the beasts offered in sacrifice, thereby teaching them, that
their soul-nakedness was to be covered with the righteous-
ness of Christ, our great atoning sacrifice : I say, whenever
these coats of skins were provided for them, they threw away
their fig-leaves as useless. This is the very case with the
sinner; so soon as he falls under a conviction of his spirit-
ual nakedness before God, he studies to sew together an apron
of his own works. The harlot, Prov. vii. 14, pleads, that she
" had peace-offerings with her ; this day," says she, " have I
paid my vows ;" and with this apron she imagined to cover
the filthiness of her adultery. But, alas ! this will not do ;
for God says, " Their webs shall not become garments, nei-
ther shall they cover themselves with their works," Is. lix. 6.
Therefore, for the Lord's sake, cast away these fig-leaves,
as useless, as dung and loss, seeing you are now called to ac-
cept of the white raiment of God's providing. Say with Paul,
when Christ was discovered to him, " I count all but loss and
dung, that I may be found in him." Paul, in this case, is
just like a man swimming for his life upon a broken plank :
so soon as ever he comes to a vessel that will carry him
ashore, he quits his plank, and betakes himself to the whole
and sound vessel ; and so reckons himself in safety.

Qthty, The gospel discovers or presents thee with a cool-
ing, refreshing shadow, to defend thee from the heat of divine
wrath. Perhaps some of you have been at the foot of Sinai,
or at present are scorched with the flashes of divine wrath,
cast out from that burning mountain. Well, here is mount
Zion, take the benefit of the gospel, and thou shalt find the
" shadow of a great rock," where the flames of vindictive
wrath cannot reach thee : Cant. ii. 3 : " I sat down," says the
spouse, " under his shadow with great delight," &.c. When
the children of Israel travelled through the burning sands of

XVII. ] ISSUING FORTH FROM MOL'.VT ZION". 581

Arabia, they had no shelter from the scorching heat, but a
miraculous cloud, with which God overshadowed the camp,
for the space oi" forty years. I have read of some, who tra-
velling through these sandy deserts, have dropped down dead
with the heat of the sun : so that this cloud that covered the
camp oi Israel, was oi absolute necessity to them, otherwise
they could never have subsisted there, especially for such a
long tract of time; it was not their thin tents that would defend
them. This cloud typified the righteousness of Christ revealed
in the gospel ; this is the only covering under winch a guilty
sinner can be preserved from the "devouring tires and ever-
lasting burnings" oi' divine wrath. It is not any thing done
by you that will defend you, unless you get under •• the sha-
dow of this great rock in the weary land." The cloud that
screened Israel from the beams oi' the sun. was itself exposed
to the burning beat : so Christ exposed himself to the wrath
of his Father, that he might be a lasting and perpetual sha-
dow to protect us from it. As Israel did. for the space ol
forty years, travel under the shadow oi the cloud : so. while
we arc travellers in this weary land, we must be journeying
under the shadow of Christ, and his everlasting righteousness.
If any o\ the children of Israel went out from the shadow
oi the cloud, they were in danger of being burnt up with
excessive heat ; so, if at any time a believer, through a're-
maining legal spirit, and an evil heart of unbelief, depart
from Christ, seeking relief from the law. he is in danger oi
being scorched with mount Sinai flames, and never shall he
find rest till by faith he return to the place where Christ
"maketh his docks to rest at noon."

Itkly, The gospel discovers a city of refuge for the poor
sinner, who is pursued by the law and justice of God. We
rea I ot cities of refuge under the law. that were a common
good to the children oi Israel. Num. xxxv. 15, 23, 24. If a
man had killed his neighbour but by mere accident, without
any design, yet he must not stay at his own house, expecting
safety there, bul he must with all speed tlee to "the city of
refuge," as the ordinance oi God for his safety. This was a
faint type and shad >w oi Christ, the blessed refuge and hope
ret before us in the gospel. The sinner being guilty of death.
and the sword of justice being drawn and furbished, in order
to ho bathed in his blood, God cries to him from heaven t>> Bee
lor his lib to Christ, ••Turn ye to your strong-hold, ye pri-
soners of hope. — Turn ye, turn ye: why will ye die,0 house
of Israel !" And as the manslayer, when within the gates of
the rity o( refuge, could freely confer and talk with the aven-
ger with. >a! fear of danger: so a God of vengeance and a guilty
sinner may have sweet fellowship with one another in Christ;

40*

582 THE LAW OF FAITH [sElR.

for " by this better hope we draw nigh unto God," Heb. vii.
19. If the manslayer, during the life of the high priest, had
come without the walls of the city of refuge, the avenger of
blood might warrantably kill him ; so if the best and holiest
of saints should go forth out of Christ, and from under the co-
vering of his blood and righteousness, imagining themselves
to be in safety under the shelter of their own inherent holi-
ness, God's avenging justice might warrantably cut them off;
and therefore it is your wisdom to abide in Christ, 1 John ii.
28 : " Little children, abide in him." Let us, with Paul, be
concerned to be for ever found in him.

8thly, The gospel discovers a blessed stair, or ladder, by
which we, who have fallen by our iniquities, may climb up
to heaven, and have access to the holy of holies. If it w ere
possible that a lost sinner could fly to heaven upon the wings
of his own works, or get up thither by the broken ladder of
the law of works, what need was there that God should pro-
vide such an expensive one, as that of the incarnation, obe-
dience, and death of his own eternal Son? When Jacob
Gen. xxviii. was travelling in Padan-aram, in a dream he saw
a ladder, the foot of which stood upon earth, while the top of
it reached the heavens. By this ladder was signified the per-
son.of Christ, as Immanuel, God-man, who, as to his human
nature, stood upon earth, and, as to his divine nature, is above
the height of the highest heavens ; and likewise the office of
Christ as Mediator, who joins heaven and earth together in a
blessed amity and concord. The foot of this ladder stood in
Bethel, the house of God, in the church, Christ revealed and
exhibited in the gospel, is the lowest step of the ladder, and
comes near to every man that he may set the foot of faith
upon it, in order to his climbing up to glory. This ladder is
"the gate of heaven: I am the door; by me if anv man enter
in, he shall be saved. I am the way, and the truth, and the
life: there is no way of coming unto the Father but by me."
By faith in his atoning blood we enter into the holy of holies.
At the death of Christ the veil was rent from the top to the
bottom, and the way to the holiest laid open, that we, through
the human nature of the Son of God, (which was rent in twain
by justice,) might enter with boldness.

9thly, The gospel discovers a rich mine or treasure, by
which you may be made up for ever, even " the unsearchable
riches of Christ." If I should tell this company, that there is
such a treasure of gold or silver hid in the highway betwixt
this and the next town, and that every man might go and
take as much of it as he had a mind, O what a strange run
would there be among this multitude ! But, sirs, though I can-
not tell you of earthly riches, jet I can tell you of a field where

XVII.] ISSUING FORTH FROM MOUNT ZION. 583

far better riches are to be found, even gold tried in the fire,
better than the gold of Ophir, riches that do not rot in the
grave ; and the field is not far off, you have it in the Old and
New Testament, which is among your hands, you have it in
this gospel that you are hearing : Christ and all the fulness of
the Godhead, Christ and everlasting life in him, is there. O
search the scriptures, &c. Prov. ii. 4, 5 : " He that seeketh it
as silver, and searchcth for it, as for a hid treasure, shall un-
derstand the fear of the Lord, and find the knowledge of God."
Thus, you see what glorious and advantageous discoveries
are made to sinners by the gospel, (the law of faith ;) and
therefore, for the Lord's sake, take the benefit of it.

Mot. 3. To engage you to take the benefit of the law of faith,
by believing in Christ, pray consider, that the moral law, or
law of commandments, upon the revelation of Christ in the
gospel, binds and obliges you so to do. I do not say that the
law of works reveals Christ; no, not one word of Christ is to
be found in the whole law abstractly considered : but this I
say, that whenever the gospel reveals Christ, the law wills,
requires, and commands the sinner, under the severest pe-
nalty, to close with him. Will not the law lead to its end, and
require the sinner to betake himself to him who is " the end
of the law for righteousness," upon the revelation of him by
the gospel? Yes, surely, "This is his commandment, that
you believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ ;" and, " he
that believeth not is condemned already." But, say you,
that is a command of the gospel, not of the law. I answer, It
is a command of the law, yes, the very first commandment
of the moral law : " Thou shalt have no other gods before
me ;" that is, thou shalt believe and trust in me as thy God
and Redeemer, and in none other, for life and salvation. So
that although the moral law abstractly considered does not
reveal Christ or speak one word of him ; yet considered in the
concrete, or as it stands connected with, and subservient to,
the gospel revelation, it enjoins, it requires, and commands
us to take the benefit of Christ and his righteousness. And
therefore, if you do not take the benefit of the law of faith,
you break and violate even the law of works, by which you
are seeking; righteousness and salvation. You desire to "work
the work of God ;" well, " this is the work of God, that ye
believe on him whom he hath sent." And, do what you will
in obedience to the law of works, it will all be rejected, like the
" offering of swine's blood," except you obey this command-
ment of the law of works, which is to take the benefit of the
law of faith, or to " believe on the name of the Son of God.

Mot. 4. Consider that there is a double vengeance attending
them that do not take the benefit of the law of faith ; and no

584 THE LAW OF FAITH [sER.

wonder, since (as you have heard) they despise a double law,
namely, of works and of faith, at once ; every and the least
transgression even of the law of works incurs wrath and ven-
geance, death, and damnation, against the sinner. See how
the apostle argues upon this head, Heb. x. 28, 29: "He that
despised Moses' law, died without mercy," &c. Now all this
the man is guilty of, who does not by faith fall in with the
revelation of the law of faith ; he " crucifies the Son of God
afresh," reacts and approves the tragedy acted on mount Cal-
vary, he " tramples the blood of the covenant under foot, and
does despite unto the Spirit of grace," who revealed the law
of faith ; and therefore a double vengeance must be abiding
you, if you do not receive the law of faith. O unbelieving sin-
ner, " consider this, lest he tear you in pieces, when none shall
be able to deliver you out of his hand." But I do not incline
to end with terrors; and therefore,

Mot. 5. Consider that moment you take the benefit of the
law of faith (the gospel coming forth from Zion,) you are
acquitted and discharged of all that ever the law of works
could demand of you. The law of works craved only a single
debt of Adam in innocency, namely, the debt of obedience ;
but it hath a double charge upon the sinner, not only of obe-
dience to its precept, but also it craves its penalty be en-
dured ; and of this double debt you are not capable to pay the
least farthing. Though you were to live Methuselah's days,
you could never obey one precept of the law, as it is the law
of works, being utterly destitute of that principle from which,
and of the end to which, all acts of obedience to the law must
be performed; for the holy law does not look so much to the
matter of the action, as to the principle and end of it ; so
that our best actions, instead of being acts of obedience to
the law, are but splendid sins before God the great Law-
giver; and therefore the debt of obedience to the precept you
can never pay, while you cleave to the law as a covenant
And as you are not capable to pay the debt of obedience, so
neither are you in your own person capable to pay the debt
of punishment or satisfaction, though you were to lie in hell-
fire through an endless eternity. The reason is, because jus-
tice requires an infinite satisfaction for an infinite offence ; and
can the punishment of a finite creature ever amount to an in-
finite satisfaction? Thus, you are insolvent debtors to justice,
by virtue of the precept and penalty of the law of works.
But now, I say, whenever you take the benefit of the law of
faith, or believe in Christ as he is offered and gifted in the
promise of the gospel, you are that moment assoilzied and ac-
quitted from both these debts, and all charges that the law of
works has against you : you are no more concerned with it

XVII.] ISSUING FORTH FROM MOUNT ZION. 585

either in point of justification or condemnation: " There is,
therefore, now no condemnation to them which are in Christ
Jesus. Who can lay any thing to the charge of God's
elect?" Perhaps, indeed, the devil may set home the law
as a covenant upon the believer in Christ, craving the debt
both of obedience and punishment for sin ; but the believer,
under the lively exercise of faith, has a ready answer to
these charges. As for the debt of obedience, may the belie-
ver say, my Surety paid it by his spotless obedience; "he mag-
nified the law and made it honourable, and Jehovah is well
pleased for his righteousness' sake," and through him the right-
eousness of the law is fulfilled in me ; so that, although now
by strength derived from him, I resolve to honour and obey
the law as a rule of obedience, from a principle of love and
gratitude to my blessed Husband and Redeemer, yet as a co-
venant I owe it nothing : will I ever dishonour my glorious
Surety so far, as to offer my own grace and holiness or obe-
dience in the room of his everlasting law-biding righteousness?
No, no ; I am " dead to the law by the body of Christ, be-
ing married to another, even to him who is raised from the
dead, that I may bring forth fruit unto God." And then, as
for the debt of punishment and satisfaction, I owe the law
of works nothing, either: why, its penalty was endured by my
Kinsman and Redeemer, " he finished it upon the cross, he
was wounded for my iniquities, the just suffered for the
unjust," his blood answers for my offences, and his resurrec-
tion is my dischai'ge for justification ; " It is Christ that died,
yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand
of God, who also maketh intercession for me;" and, therefore
"who is he that condemneth," seeing upon this ground God
does justify? It is remarkable, that the apostle puts a note of
distinction on the resurrection of Christ, saying, " Yea rather,
that is risen again," because the resurrection of Christ from
the dead is ah invincible proof of the full payment of the debt,
which he as our Surety undertook to pay. If he had not made
full payment, the prison of the grave had never been opened,
and he dismissed, or " taken from prison and from judgment,"
Is. liii. 8. O sirs, I bring you glad tidings of great joy, our
brother Joseph, our elder brother Jesus, his head is lifted up
out of prison by a glorious resurrection and exaltation ; and
therefore let all the seed of Israel rejoice, for he having lifted
up the head as a public person and representative, our heads
are lifted up in him, and with him : Eph. ii. 5, 6 : " Even when
we were dead in sins, he hath quickened us together with
Christ (by grace ye are saved,) and hath raised us up together
and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus."
And therefore, O come and let us all return unto a God of

586 THE LAW OF FAITH [SER.

peace, who hath raised up Jesus Christ our Lord from the dead:
"he hath torn him and he will heal us; he hath smitten him,
and he will bind us up : after two days he revived us," who
were dead in law, " in the third day he raised us up" in him;
and therefore let us say, in a way of believing, " We shall
live in his sight: Because Christ lives, ye shall live also." Sure
I am, if we had but the lively up-taking of this mystery of a
risen Christ, we would be ready to join the apostle in his dox-
ology, 1 Pet.'i. 3 : " Blessed be the God and Father of our
Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy,
hath begotten us again unto a lively hope, by the resurrection
of Jesus Christ from the dead."

Mot. 6. By taking the benefit of the law of faith coming
out of Zion, the law of commandments coming out of Sinai
will be an easy yoke, and a light burden to you. The cove-
nant of works was such " a yoke of bondage, that neither we
nor our fathers were able to bear it ;" this is spoken, Acts xv.
10, of the legal dispensation of the covenant of grace under
the Old Testament, by types, ceremonies, and sacrifices, &c.
But if even the legal dispensation of the covenant of grace
was an unsupportable yoke ; what must the covenant of
works be? But now, I say, by faith's improvement of the gos-
pel-law of grace, that heavy yoke is now become a light and
easy burden. The reason is, whenever a sinner believes in
Christ, by virtue of the gospel, or covenant of grace, the
righteousness of the law, as a covenant is fulfilled in him, and
he gets strength from Christ to obey the law as a rule. " Surely
in the Lord, shall one say, have I righteousness and strength:"
and faith, falling on this fund of righteousness and strength,
cries with the psalmist, Psal. Ixxi. 16: "I will go in the
strength of the Lord God, making mention of his righteous-
ness, even of his only." Now the man rejoices to work right-
eousness, remembering the Lord and his ways, his steps are
enlarged under him, and his feet become as hinds' feet in the
way of the Lord; so that he "runs and does not weary, he
walks and does not faint:" the man, finding himself redeemed
and delivered from the hands of his enemies, " serves the
Lord without fear," without a servile or slavish fear, " in ho-
liness and righteousness, all the days of his life:" with Paul,
he " delights in the law of the Lord, after the inward man :"
consenting to it, that it is " holy, just, and good ; esteems it the
"good, and acceptable, and perfect will of God;" makes it "a
lamp to his feet, and a light to his paths;" and so he "goes
on from strength to strength, until he appear before the Lord
in Zion." Thus, I have endeavoured to deal with you as ra-
tional creatures, and to draw you with the bands of a man,
to take the benefit of the law of faith coming forth from.

XVII.] ISSUING FORTH FROM MOUNT ZION. 587

mount Zion : look to the Lord, that he may, by the power of
his Spirit, concur and make it effectual to persuade and ena-
ble you thereto.

1 conclude all in a few words by way of direction or ad-
vice, in order to your improvement of the law of faith or the
gospel of our salvation.

1. Study to be convinced and persuaded, that neither you
nor any of the race of Adam, can make your way to heaven
by the law of works. Yon may weary yourselves in the
greatness of your way to bring it about, but all in vain. As
I told you before, so 1 tell you again, that door is condemned,
that bridge is broken, that scaffold is taken down : and in vain
do you attempt to rebuild it ; for God has said, and his word
shall stand, "By the works of the law shall no flesh living be
justified."

2. In order to your being convinced of this, T advise you to
be much in studying the law of works, in its holiness, perfec-
tion, extent, and spirituality; for the reason why so many
cleave to the law as a covenant is, because they know not
the extent of the law : " I have seen an end of all perfection ;
but thy commandment" says David, "is exceeding broad,"
Psal. cxix. 96. We may sooner take up the perfection of all
created things, than take up the extent of this law, which
reaches to the innermost motions of the heart, the first brood-
ings of a sinful thought, as well as the external actions of the
life. Some in our day do with the law of God, just as the
old Pharisees did ; they pare off the spirituality of the law,
and look no farther than the letter of it; and hence they ima-
gine that they can obey it, and be justified by it. But as
Christ laid open the law in its spirituality to the Pharisees, in
his sermon on the mount, that they might see their folly in
seeking salvation by the law of works; so my advice to you
is, to study the law, not only in the letter, but in the spiritu-
ality, that so " through the law" thou mayest become "dead
to the law, and alive unto God through Jesus Christ, the
Lord our righteousness."

3. Be frequently comparing your hearts and lives with this
holy and spotless law of God, and see what abounding errors
are in both. I am sure, if you did but look a little to your
face in the glass of the holy law, you would see such a hell
of abominations within and without you, that you will be
ready to cry, " Innumerable evils compass me about." You
who are ready to bless yourselves, and say or think you have
a good heart toward God, you never yet saw yourselves in
the glass of the holy law ; if your eyes were opened, you
would soon acknowledge with Paul, that "in you dwelleth no
good thing," and that " every thought of your heart is evil

588 THE LAW OF FAITH [SER.

only, and evil continually." O sirs, believe this is the real
case with you, and consequently, all the curses and threat-
enings of the broken law of works are standing in full force
against you. This must needs be believed, the truth of the
threatening applied and brought home, ere ever you can im-
prove and apply the gospel ; for I would have you remember,
that there is a law-faith goes before a gospel-faith; and this law
faith consists in a knowledge of the law in its spirituality, in an
assent to the truth of its threatenings, and a particular applica-
tion of them to the soul. The want of this is the reason of pre-
vailing presumption and carnal security among the hearers of
the gospel, which hinders them from believing in Christ, by vir-
tue-of the law of faith, which reveals and exhibits him; they
lie intrenched behind an imaginary fortification of natural re-
ligion, formality, and morality, and there they think them-
selves safe against all the threatenings and thunders of the
law of works. But, alas! what will this avail in the day of
visitation, when God shall lay you in the balance, and say,
" You are weighed in the balances, and are found wanting;"
you want the righteousness of my Son, you want my image,
you want my Spirit, you want a renewed nature; and there-
fore away with such a man! "Thou puttest away all the
wicked of the earth like dross ; Reprobate silver shall men
call them, for the Lord hath rejected them."

4. I advise you not only to study the law of works, but also
to study the gospel, or law of faith; the difference between
these two, and their connexion in a gospel-dispensation. Igno-
rance of this makes a strange kind of a jumble in the doc-
trine of ministers, and in the exercise of a Christian. I en-
deavoured in the doctrinal part of this discourse to clear up a
little something 'of the difference and harmony between these,
and do not now repeat them.

5. Be persuaded that the law of faith lies open to you, and
that you are as free to take the benefit of it as any other per-
son whatever. It is one of the hellish policies of Satan, and
of an evil heart of unbelief, to persuade the sinner, that the
promise, or the law of faith, is not to them, contrary to God's
express declaration, "The promise is unto you, and to all that
are afar off: To you is the word of this salvation sent." Do
not say, when you hear the law coming out of Zion, The pro-
mises and offers of salvation made through a Redeemer, God
is speaking to the elect, or to believers, and others, but not
to me. No, he is speaking to thee, sinner ; " for Christ came
not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance." And
therefore, as you are to apply the threatenings of the law to
works for your conviction and humiliation ; so you are to be-
lieve and apply the gracious offers and promises of sovereign

XVH.] ISSUING FORTH FROM MOUNT ZION. 589

grace in the gospel to you in particular ; and do not imagine
with yourselves, that God says one thing, and intends another;
no, he speaks the truth in his heart, and you may read the
thoughts of his heart by the words of his blessed mouth, the
one so exactly agrees with the other. Do not rest satisfied
with the general assent to the truth of the promise; but, un-
der the conduct of the promised Spirit, venture the salvation
of your souls upon it, and the faithfulness of him that made
it. O sirs, the strength of omnipotence is in the promise; ne-
ver did any soul perish that trusted it ; " Abraham staggered
not at the promise of God through unbelief," and the promise
bore him through ; and so will it all the seed of Abraham, all
who truly believe it. Bui, say you, 1 think I could trust the
promise, and the Promiser; but still I fear the promise does
not belong to me. I answer, The promise belongs as much to
you, to every one of you, as it did to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob,
David, or any of the saints now in glory, before they actually
believed it. Can you doubt that you have a right to believe
the promise of God, or to set to your seal that he is true ? No,
you affront God, and lose your own souls, if you do not. I
conceive that there is a general mistake among the hearers of
the gospel; they fancy they have no manner of concern in
the covenant of grace, or the promises thereof, till they be ac-
tually within the bond of it. But do not mistake it; the co-
venant and promises belong to you, yea, to the whole visible
church, in the dispensation. You have a confirmed right and
warrant by faith to intermeddle with the covenant of grace,
and all the blessings thereof, even before you believe: I own,
indeed, that till you believe, you have no saving interest in
Christ, or the benefits of the covenant ; but before you be-
lieve, you have a confirmed right to lay hold upon the cove-
nant by faith. The covenant, in the dispensation of it, belongs
to all the hearers of the gospel, to the whole visible church;
and if we cut off* people's hands from the covenant and the
promises, at the same time we cut them off from receiving
Christ, when yet we are offering Christ to them ; for it is by
virtue of the covenant of grace, or promise, that sinners must
receive and apply Christ. I do not speak without book, for
the words of our Confession of Faith are, 'That the principal
acts of saving grace are, a receiving, resting upon, and apply-
ing Christ, for righteousness, life, and salvation, by virtue of
the covenant of grace;' and if by virtue of the covenant we
are to receive Christ, surely we must not take away the co-
venant of grace from people, and yet bid them receive Christ;
this were to destroy with one hand, what we build with the
other. Now, seeing this is the case, that the law of faith lies
open to you, that the promise and covenant is to you, make
vol. 1. 50

590 THE LAW OF FAITH [SER.

particular application of it to your own souls, and lay the
weight of your eternal salvation upon the faithfulness of a
promising God in Christ. And, to encourage you to do it,
consider that additional security he has given us to encourage
our faith; he superadds his oath to his promise, and seals both
with the blood of his Son, and the seals of baptism and the
supper ; and the three witnesses of heaven attest the truth of
it, the Father, the Word, and the Spirit: and what more can
the most jealous heart desire 1 Here is ground to believe with-
out doubting, to believe with full assurance of faith.

6. If you would take the benefit of the law of faith, go to
a court of grace, to a throne of grace, where the law of grace
is enacted, and put a God of grace to the execution o( his
own laws or acts of grace, and he persuaded that he will take
care to make them good and effectual to thy soul. This is
the advice of the Spirit of God: Ezck. xxxvi. 25 — 27, after
sovereign grace had enacted many gracious laws of faith, say-
ing, "I will sprinkle clean water upon you, A new heart will
I give you, I will put my spirit within you;" it is added, ver.
37, " For these things I will be inquired of by the house of Is-
rael," &c. So that you see the promise must be pleaded at
the throne of grace ; only when you plead the benefit of the
promise, or law of grace, take care you do not plead your
own, but Christ's right : do not think that your own pleading,
your own frame or qualification will entitle you to the pro-
mise, or the blessings promised; for this is just to run back to
the law of works to found your claim and title to the covenant
of grace, and the blessings of it. Remember in all your
pleadings and wrestlings to go out of yourselves for a right to
the promise to Christ; " in him they are all yea and amen ;"
he is the first Heir, and it is only in and through him, and his
everlasting righteousness or satisfaction, that we can lay claim
to any thing in heaven or in earth, since the forfeiture we fell
under by the breach of the covenant of works in our first
parents; therefore serve yourselves heirs to the promise as it
is in Christ the covenant of grace is nothing else but a free dis-
position of eternal life, and of every thing belonging to it, by
sovereign grace through the righteousness of Christ. Now,
take things as God has laid them, and do not invert that or-
der, by founding your right, to the promise upon any thing in
yourself.

7. Lastly, In pleading the law of faith, be sure to employ
the "Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous,
who is the propitiation." God hears not sinners, but only
through the mediation or intercession of his eternal Son. And
therefore whatever business you have in the court of grace,
whatever acts or laws of grace you would have sued and ex-

XVII.] ISSUING FORTH FROM MOUNT ZION. 591

ecuted with respect (o your souls, put all in the Advocate's
hand, who "maketh intercession for the transgressors," and
who is so well skilled in the laws of the court of grace, that
he never lost a poor man's cause. If you will adventure to
plead the promise, and present your own bills before God in
your own name, and not in the name of the great Advocate
with the Father, how can you expect to speed 1 Can you be
accepted of the Father, when you put a slight upon the Son?
No; " he hath made us accepted only in the beloved: What-
soever ye ask the Father in my name, I will do it."

592

SER1HON XVIII.

THE STONE REJECTED BY THE BUILDERS, EXALTED AS THE
HEAD-STONE OF THE CORNER.*

PREFACE.

Reader,

The Following sermon gave occasion to three clays' warm de-
bate in the Reverend Synod of Perth and Stirling, and has been
the subject of much talk and speculation since that time. Whether
the censures of men about it be just or unjust, is now submit-
ted to the impartial world to judge. The sermon was copied
from the author's original notes by another hand, who could read
his characters, but was in no hazard of making any additions or
alterations. Several things here were omitted in the delivery
for the sake of brevity : but nothing material was delivered, but
what comes abroad. And with reference to the expression quar-
relled with, so soon as the author knew what passages of his dis-
course were pointed at by the Reverend Synod, (which was the
day immediately after it was preached,) he took care to revise
his notes, and make these expressions run in the terms in which
they were delivered, as near as either he or some of the audience
could remember.

The author's design in pitching and preaching upon that text,
was what he could to raise the glory of the blessed Corner-stone,
to set up the corruptions of the Jewish builders as so many bea-
cons, that builders of our day might beware of them, and to cast
in the small mite of his testimony against what, to him, appears

* Preached at the opening- of the Synod of Perth and Stirling-, at Perth,
October 10, 1732.

XVIII.] THE ST0IVE REJECTED BY THE BUILDERS, &C. 593

an injury done, either to Christ personal or mystical. If these
ends be reached, either in the preaching or publication, it will
afford matter of joy to the author, whatever be the event of the
depending process with respect to himself.

If any think, upon the reading of the following discourse, that
there, is too great freedom used with respect to the present steps
of defection ; let them remember, that there is now no other way
left to bear testimony against such things, but by warning the
world against them, from press or pulpit ; representations and
petitions from ministers or church-members at the bar, being ut-
terly disregarded, and no access to enter any protest or dissent
against these proceedings in the public records, for the exonera-
tion of conscience, or the information of our posterity, that such
things did not pass in our day without a struggle and testimony
against them.

If any of the author's friends and well-wishers be afraid of
farther trouble to him, upon the account of this sermon; let
them know, that, through grace, he chooses rather to suffer with
the oppressed members of Christ, than to enjoy all the ease and
pleasure of those who oppress them in their spiritual liberties;
which being the purchase of a Redeemer's blood will be reckoned
for before the scene be ended. Heb xi. 24 — 26; 1 John iii. 16;
2 Thess. i. 6, 7.

The stone winch the builders rejected, the same is made the head-stone
of the corner.— Psal. cxvm. 22.

It is probable this psalm was penned by David, when the
ark of God was brought up from the house of Ohed-edom,
to its proper place in Jerusalem, after the intestine broils be-
tween the house of David and Saul had happily issued in
David's promotion, by the common consent of all the tribes,
to the crown and kingdom of Israel. But though this was
the occasion, yet the Spirit of God had in it a farther view,
namely, to Christ himself, of whom David and his adminis-
trations were but a faint type and shadow.

David's accession to the throne was through many storms
of opposition : although God had chosen and ordained him
for the kingdom and government; yet he was opposed by
the house of Saul, and those who adhered to that family : yet

50*

594 THE STONE REJECTED BY THE BUILDERS, [SER.

after all, the house of David prevailed. Just so was it with
the son -of David, our glorious Redeemer : hell and earth
combined against the Lord and his Messiah, but God had de-
termined that the government should be upon his shoulders,
that his King should be set upon his holy hill of Zion ; and
he carries his design against all opposers, as you see in my
text, The stone which the builders rejected, the same is made the
headstone of the comer.

I need not stay to prove that these words are to be under-
stood of Christ, after the express application that is made of
them to him by himself and his apostles in the scriptures of
the New Testament, Matth. xxi. 42; Acts iv. 11; 1 Pet. ii. 7;
8 ; Eph. ii. 20.

In the words we may notice the following particulars, (1.)
The metaphorical view in which the church is here repre-
sented ; namely, that of a house or building. (2.) The cha-
racter that our Immanuel bears with respect to this building :
he is the stone in a way of eminence, without whom there
can be no building, no house for God to dwell in among the
children of men. (3.) The character of the workmen em-
ployed in this spiritual structure, they are called builders.
(4.) A fatal error they are charged with in building of the
house of God : they refuse the stone of God's choosing ; they
do not allow him a place in his own house. (5.) Notice the
place that Christ should and shall have in this building, let
the builders do their worst, he is made the head-stone of the
comer. The words immediately following, declare how this
is effected, and how the saints are affected with the views of
his exaltation, notwithstanding the malice of hell and earth:
fl This is the Lord's doing, and it is wonderful in our eyes."

In discoursing on this subject, I shall just follow the order
of the text now laid down, by explaining the particulars
named, and then deduce a few inferences from the whole.

I. Let us take a view of the church under the notion of a
house or building. This metaphorical view of the church is
very frequent in the scriptures, both of the Old and New
Testament : Is. ii. 2, 3 : " It shall come to pass in the last
days, that the mountain of the Lord's house shall be estab-
lished in the top of the mountains. — And many people shall
go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to .the mountain of the
Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob." The same way
of speaking occurs also in the scriptures of the New Testa-
ment, 1 Cor. hi. 9 : " Ye are God's husbandry, ye are God's
building." Hence Paul, writing to Timothy, directs him how
to behave himself in the church of God, which is the house
of the living God,

XVIII.] EXALTED AS THE HEAD-STONE OF THE CORNER. 495

Now, with relation to this house or building, I offer the
following particulars: —

1. That though God took up house with man at his crea-
tion; yet by the fall of Adam the family was separated, God
broke up house with man, the family was parted, and the
breach was wide like the sea. God could have no fellowship
with man; for what fellowship could there be betwixt light
and darkness, betwixt God and Belial ? and immediately
man, like the prodigal, forsook God, and wandered into a far
country of sin and vanity.

2. God had a stated design from eternity, that notwith-
standing of this breach, he would have a house and dwelling
with fallen man ; he designed to take up house, and gather
the family again ; hence we are told, that " before the foun-
dation of the earth, he rejoiced in the habitable parts thereof,
and his delights were with the sons of men." The founda-
tion of this building was laid in the council of peace, and all
the stones and materials of it were sequestrated and set apart.
From the ancient years of eternity, Christ was chosen as the
foundation and the chief corner-stone: "I wps set up from
everlasting, from the beginning, or ever the earth was." And
all the saints were elected as living stones, to be renewed,
justified, adopted, sanctiiied, and eternally saved in him and
through him : Eph. i. 3 — 5 : " He hath chosen us in him, be-
fore the foundation of the world ; he hath predestinated us
unto the adoption of children, that we should be holy, and
without blame before him in love."

3. Before this designed building could go up, Heaven must
be at an infinite expense; before one stone could be laid in
the building, the glory of the infinite God must be veiled with
a veil of flesh in the person of the eternal Son, the great
Lawgiver must be made under his own law ; God blessed
for ever must be made a curse, and the holy One of God
made sin. Justice had determined, that " without the shed-
ding of blood there should be no remission of sin ;" and ex-
cept justice was satisfied, and the honour of the law repaired,
God could never dwell upon honourable terms with man upon
earth. Oh the expense that God is at in building this house!
We must be redeemed from the hand of justice, " not with
silver and gold, or such corruptible things, but with the pre-
cious blood of Christ," &c.

4. Every stone of this building is digged out of the deep
and dark quarry of nature, being " dead in trespasses and sins,
children of wrath even as others, alienated from the life of
God through ignorance, aliens to the commonwealth of Israel,
strangers to the covenant of promise :" in a word, there is
not worse stuff in hell itself, than the stones of this building

596 THE STONE REJECTED BY THE BUILDERS, [SER.

are by nature. And who can quarrel with the great Builder
for taking one stone out of the quarry, and leaving another
behind him as he has a mind 1 only when we look to the rock
whence we were hewn, and the pit whence we were digged,
we may say, " Who made us to differ 1 for a Syrian ready
to perish was our father."

5. The great engine the glorious Builder makes use of, for
gathering the stones of the building, and carrying on the
edifice, is the pure preaching of the everlasting gospel. This
is what the prophet, Is. xxvii. 13, foretells : "And it shall come
to pass in that day, that the great trumpet shall be blown,
and they shall come which were ready to perish in the land
of Assyria, and the outcasts in the land of Egypt, and shall
worship the Lord in the holy mount at Jerusalem." It pleases
God, by the foolishness of preaching to save them that be-
lieve. It is the gospel that is " the power of God unto sal-
vation ; for therein is revealed the righteousness of God from
faith to faith," Rom. i. 1(5, 17. When Christ sent forth his
apostles and ministers, as founders of the New Testament
church, what were they to do'^ Their commission was, to
go into all the world, and to preach the gospel to every crea-
ture under heaven : " Go teach all nations, baptizing them in
the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy
Ghost." Hence the apostle declares, 2 Cor. x. 4, 5 : " The
weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through
God to the pulling down of strong-holds, casting down im-
aginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against
the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every
thought to the obedience of Christ."

6. The church, thus gathered and united under Christ as a
glorious head, is the house of God, or his family upon earth.
He has a manifold right to her; a right by election, a right
by redemption and purchase, a right by covenant and by pos-
session. And if it be asked, what kind of a house is the
church of God? I answer,

1st, It is his dwelling-house : Psal. lxxvi. 2 : " In Salem is
his tabernacle, and his dwelling-place is in Zion." God has
no other rest amongst the children of men than his church ;
" The Lord hath chosen Zion : he hath desired it for his habi-
tation. This is my rest for ever : here will I dwell." So
that the tabernacle of God is with men." And, as a man
takes pleasure in his house or lodging, so doth God take plea-
sure in his church : " The Lord taketh pleasure in his people:
he will beautify the meek with salvation. 1 will dwell in
them, and walk in them ; and I will be unto them a Father,
and they shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord
Almighty."

XVIII.] EXALTED AS THE HEAD- STONE OF THE CORNER. 597

2dly, The church is his treasure-house. Here it is that he
disposes of the most valuable furniture he has in the world.
Israel is " his peculiar treasure : The Lord's portion is his
people : Jacob is the lot of his inheritance." Here he has
his crown and diadem : " Thou shalt be a crown of glory in
the hand of the Lord, and a royal diadem in the hand of thy
God." Here he hath his jezvels, as his people are called,
Mai. iiK 17 ; in comparison of whom, all the res( of the world
are but trash: "What is the chaff to the wheat? saith the
Lord." Before he lose his jewels and his portion, he will
sacrifice nations and kingdoms for their safety: Is. xliii. 4:
" Ever since thou wast precious in my sight, thou hast been
honourable, and I have loved thee : therefore will I give men
for thee, and people for thy life ; Egypt for thy ransom, and
Ethiopia and Seba for thee."

3dly, The church is his banqueting-house : Cant. ii. 4:
"He brought me into his banqueting-house, and his banner
over me was love," Here it is he " makes unto all people"
(in the external dispensation of the gospel) " a feast of fat
things, a feast of wines on the lees, of fat things full of mar-
row, of wines on the lees well refined." And here it is that
the souls of believers are entertained with meat and drink in-
deed, the hidden manna, and the fruits of the tree of life.
And here it is that he himself is entertained with the graces
of his own Spirit : Cant. v. 1 : "I am come into my garden,
my sister, my spouse ; I have gathered my myrrh with my
spice, I have eaten my honey-comb with my honey, I have
drunk my wine with my milk." Thus, I say, the church is
the house of the living God.

7. As the church is the house of God, or his family, so
Christ is the only door of the house : John x. 9 : " I am the
door : by me, if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall
go in and out, and find pasture." And, " He that entereth
not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other
way, the same is a thief and a robber." No man can be
reckoned a member of the church, far less a minister, no,
not in the judgment of charity, except he make a credible
profession of his faith in Christ, and have a corresponding
walk and conversation ; and he that comes into the house of
God, and lays claim to the privileges of the church without it,
the Master of the house, in his own time, will say to him,
"Friend, how earnest thou in hither?' And they who adven-
ture to confer the privileges of the church upon those who
have not come in by the door, Christ, and who, in the view
of the wrorld, are of a malignant spirit, enemies to the house
of our God ; these I say, are guilty of casting that which is
holy to dogs, and of betraying the house of God, instead of
ruling it to advantage,

598 THE STONE REJECTED BY THE BUILDERS, [SER.

8. Although this house or building be the object of the
malice of hell and earth ; yet, as it has stood since its erec-
tion in Paradise, so it shall stand while sun and moon en-
dure in the firmament. Indeed, particular churches may
be razed, but the catholic universal church shall stand the
utmost efforts of the gates of hell : " The Lord is in the midst
of her ; she shall not be moved : the Lord will help her, and
that right early." Hence is that song, Psal. xlvi : "We will
not fear though the earth be removed, and though the moun-
tains be carried into the midst of the sea," &c. All the
storms that have blown upon her from hell and earth have
only served, by over-ruling providence, to advance her true
interest and glory: Is. liv. 11, 12: " Oh thou afflicted, tossed
with tempest, and not comforted, behold, I will lay thy stones
with fair colours, and lay thy foundations with sapphires.
And I will make thy windows of agates, and thy gates of
carbuncles, and all thy borders of pleasant stones."

II. The second thing proposed was, to speak a Utile here of
the character given to Christ, with relation to this building ; he is
the stone. There are a great many stones in a building ; but
in this spiritual building of the house of God, Christ is the
stone, in a way of eminence and excellency, as if the whole
building were of one piece, intimating, that Christ and his
church are so closely united as to become one body and one
spirit ; upon this account the whole building is called by the
name of Christ, as the principal part thereof, 1 Cor. xii. 12:
" As the body is one, and hath many members, and all the
members of that one body, being many, are one body, so

! also is Christ." So Jer. xxxiii. 16: "And this is the name
wherewith she shall be called," viz. the church, The Lord our
righteousness; the very name given to Christ himself, chap,
xxiii. 6. I conceive that Christ is called the stone here, for
the same reason that he elsewhere calls himself a rock,
" Upon this rock will I build my church," to intimate that he
is the strength and stability of his church. Now, the ex-

I cellency and necessity of this stone, to the rearing and build-
ing of the house of God, will appear if we consider,

1. That he is the stone of God's choosing : 1 Pet. ii. 4 :
"Chosen of God and precious." Is. xlii. 1 : " Behold, my ser-
vant whom I uphold, mine elect in whom my soul delight-
eth. — Fore-ordained before the foundation of the world."

2. He is the stone of God's approbation. Though he be
disallozoed of men, he had his Father's testimony from heaven

j with an audible voice, " This is my beloved Son, in whom I
am well pleased." And, as he is approved of God, so he is
approved of by every wise builder ; they will be ready to say
with Paul, " This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all ac-

XVIII.] EXALTED AS THE HEAD-STONE OF THE CORNER. 599

ceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sin-
ners."

3. He is the stone of God's trying : Is. xxviii. 16 : " Behold,
I lay in Zion, a stone, a tried stone." He was tried in the
furnace of his Father's wrath, and he ahode the trial ; for he
came forth more glorious than ever, in his resurrection from
the dead. He stood the trial of the rage of men and devils,
who endeavoured to stop him in his redeeming work. All
the saints in heaven, and all believers on earth, have tried
him, and will give him this testimony, that " he is able to
save to the uttermost."

4. He is the only living and life-giving stone, 1 Pet. ii. 4.
" To whom coming, as unto a living stone. As the Father
hath life in himself, so hath he given to the Son to have life
in himself." He is "the resurrection and the life;" and all
the stones of the building derive their life from him : 1 Pet.
ii. 5: " Ye also as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house.
He that hath the Son, hath life. Our life is hid with Christ
in God."

5. He is the stone that is laid by the hand of Jehovah as a
foundation in Zion : " Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation^
a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner-stone, a sure founda4
tion," Is. xxviii. 16. He was laid decretively from eternity ;\
he is laid doctrinally and declaratively in a preached gospel ;\
and he is laid efficaciously in a day of power, when the sin-
ner is, by the power of the eternal Spirit, determined to take
hold upon him by faith; he is laid a foundation, and the only
foundation of hope and help for perishing sinners. Men have
been trying in all ages to lay other foundations, but still they
have proved foundations of sand: "Other foundation can no
man lay, than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ." They who
attempt to rear a church without Christ, or to build up to
themselves a hope of salvation without him, have only built
castles in the air, and their building always turned to
naught.

6. He is the matchless and incomparable stone, for he is
the chief stone of the corner ; "The brightness of his Father's
glory" is in him, " and the express image of his person." All
created glory shrinks into nothing and darkness when he ap-
pears; for lie is "fairer than the children of men, as the ap-
ple tree among the trees of the wood:" and he casts a lustre
and glory on the whole building, and every stone in it, for we
are " beautiful through his comeliness;" " the beauty of the
Lord is upon" his saints.

III. The third thing to be discoursed a little, was in the
workmen employed in rearing this spiritual building or fabric
of the church, here called builders. Christ himself is the

600 THE STONE REJECTED BY THE BUILDERS. [SER.

principal builder to whom the work is committed : Zech. vi.
12, 13 : " Behold, the man whose name is the Branch, and
he shall grow up out of his place, and he shall build the tem-
1 pie of the Lord : even he shall build the temple of the Lord,
and he shall bear the glory." But he employs officers under
him for the carrying on of the work, and these are called
builders. Kings, and those in civil authority, when in their
sphere they lend their helping hand to advance and carry on
the work of God, may be called builders of the church. But
under the New Testament I find this term only applied to
ministers of the gospel, ordinary or extraordinary: Eph. iv.
11, 12: >l He gave some, apostles: and some, prophets: and
some, evangelists: and some, pastors and teachers." For
what end ? It is for the edification of the church, or building
the body of Christ : and 1 Cor. hi. 10. Paul declares there,
that "according to the grace given him, he, as a wise master-
builder, had laid the foundation." So that ministers of the
gospel are especially the New Testament builders.

Now, with relation to these, there are only these few things
I suggest: —

1. It is a very honourable employment to be a builder of
the house of God. It is an employment wherein the Son of
God as Mediator is engaged ; and is it not an honour to be
co-workers with him ? David esteemed it an honour to be a
door-keeper in the house of our God ; but it is yet more so to
be a builder of the house. And as the work is honourable, so
the reward of grace is proportioned ; for, if we keep the
charge committed to us in building the house of God, we shall
have place among them that stand by the heavenly throne:
u And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the
firmament, and they that turn many to righteousness, as the
stars for ever and ever."

2. None can warrantably lay a stone in this building, ex-
cept he be regularly called. What mason will put his hand
to a building, unless he be employed by those who have war-
rant to call him? This is such a necessary circumstance, that
Christ himself would not meddle with building his Father's
house till he had his Father's call: "No man taketh this ho-
nour unto himself, but he that is called of God, as was Aaron :
so also Christ glorified not himself, to be made a high priest;
hut he that said unto him, Thou art my Son, to-day have I
begotten thee," Heb. v. 4, 5. There is a twofold call neces-
sary for a man who meddles as a builder in the church of
God ; there is the call of God, and of the church. God's call
consists, in his qualifying a man for the work, and inspiring
him with a holy zeal and desire to employ those qualifica-
tions for the glory of God and the good of his church. The

XVIII.] EXALTED AS THE HEAD-STONE OF THE CORNER. 601

call of the church lies in the fi'ee choice and election of the
Christian people. The promise of conduct and counsel in the
choice of men that are to build the church, is not made to
patrons, heritors, or any other particular set of men ; but to
the church, the body of Christ, to whom apostles, prophets,
evangelists, pastors and teachers are given. As it is a natu-
ral privilege of every house or society of men, to have the
choice of their own servants or officers ; so it is the privilege
of the house of God in a particular manner. What a misera-
ble bondage would it be reckoned for any family to have
stewards or servants imposed upon them by strangers or ene-
mies, who might give the children of the family a "stone for
bread, or a scorpion instead of a fish," and poison instead of
a medicine? And shall we suppose, that ever God granted to
any set of men, patrons, heritors, elders, or whatever they be,
a power to impose servants on his family, without their con-
sent, being the freest society in the world ? But I pass this at
present; perhaps more of it may occur afterwards.

3. The builders of the house of God are not left to form or
mould the house according to their own fancy ; no, but they
must follow " the pattern showed in the holy mount" of divine
revelation.

When the tabernacle was reared, a platform of it was given
to Moses; when the temple was to be built, a pattern of it
was given to Solomon by his father; and every pin of the taber-
nacle, and every stone of the temple was to be regulated and
disposed according to the divine order. Now, these were but
types of the New Testament building, of which we now speak.
Who builds a house without forming a plan of it to the build-
ers? Who erects a society without giving orders about its go-
vernment ? They who assert the government of the church
to be ambulatory, cast a reflection on the wisdom of God,
which is not to be supposed of any wise man whatever. Now,
I say, as builders of a house must renounce their own schemes,
and follow the orders of the owner ; so ministers and church-
officers, in building the house of God, must renounce carnal
policy, and the wisdom of the world, and follow the orders
given by God in his word, the perfect rule of faith and man-
ners both to ministers and church-members. What the par-
ticular model of the church should be, is a thing I hope be-
yond controversy amongst us, who are so solemnly engaged
to maintain the doctrine, discipline, worship, and govern-
ment of this church ; and therefore I do not enter upon it
now.

4. God has endowed men whom he calls to build his house,
with different talents and abilities, according to the different
services they are to be employed about in the work. There
vol. i. 51

602 THE STONE REJECTED BY THE BUILDERS, [SER.

are a great variety of gifts bestowed by Christ upon his mi-
nisters, all calculated for the good of the church of God in
general : the apostle illustrates this argument at great length,
1 Cor. xii. through the whole of the chapter. If this were
but duly considered, it would cure all manner of strife and
emulation among the builders, that they should not grudge
one against another.

5. The gifts of men, however edifying or well adapted for
carrying on the work, will never do service without the bless-
ing and countenance of the great Master-builder. " Paul may
plant, and Apollos water ; but God giveth the increase :" and
it is well that it is so ordered of Infinite Wisdom, that men
may not give greater glory to instruments than is due, and
that the whole glory may redound to the Lord ; for this end,
he puts the " treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency
of the power may be of him."

6. The work of God is many times exceedingly marred,
through the weakness or wickedness of pretended builders.
But this leads me to,

/ IV. The fourth thing proposed, which was, to speak of the
/ fatal error of these builders spoken of hi my text; they reject the
h stone, without which their whole building was nothing but. a

>iedley of confusion, however glorious it might appear in their
wn eyes : The stofie is rejected by the builders.
They seemed to have a great zeal for the Messiah and his
kingdom; yet when he comes, they do not allow him a room
in his own house: "He came unto his own, and his own re-
ceived him not;" and so they fulfilled Isaiah's prediction of
him, Is. liii. 2 : " He hath no form nor comeliness ; and when
/ we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire
)him. He is despised and rejected of men." And-Jjecajise
they rejected him, he hath rejected them as a church and na-
tion; and, O how happy had it been, if their error, and con-
sequent ruin had served as a beacon to other churches, since
their day, not to dash upon the same rock ! But here a ques-
tion naturally arises.

How did the Jewish builders reject the stone which God
had ordained to be the chief stone of the corner? Ansno.
i This came about through a great many corruptions which
) they introduced, both in principle and practice. I shall only
name a few of them, and leave it to every one to judge
how far such evils or corruptions are to be found in our own
day.

I. Though they pretended a great regard to the holy law
of God, and cried out upon Christ and his apostles as enemies
to it ; yet they narrowed and contracted the sense and mean-
ing of it, confining it merely to the letter, without search-

XVIII.] EXALTED AS THE HEAD-STONE OF THE CORNER. 603

ing into its extent and spirituality, which gave occasion to
Christ's sermon on the mount. By these means, though their
hearers might have some notions of moral honesty, yet could
they have no notion of the depravation of nature, and of the
deceit and desperate wickedness of their hearts, without
which no man can ever know the need he has of the work
of regeneration, or of a Saviour from sin.

2. Having pared off the spiritual meaning of the law, they
sought justification by the works thereof, and thought a man's
own personal obedience enough to recommend him to God ;
as is clear from Rom. ix. 31,32: " Israel, which followed af-
ter the law of righteousness, hath not attained to the law of
righteousness. Wherefore ? Because they sought it, not by
faith, but as it were by the works of the law ; for they stum-
bled at that stumbling-stone." And, Rom. x. 3 ; " For they,
being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to
establish their own righteousness, have not submitted them-
selves unto the righteousness of God." They could frame no
notion to themselves of justification by the imputed righteous-
ness of the Messiah, though God had told them that their
righteousness and their works could not profit them, that it
was a bed too short, and a covering too narrow for them.

3. These builders, through the legality of their doctrine,
shut up the kingdom of heaven against men ; they would nei-
ther enter themselves, nor suffer others that were entering to
enter. God had told them that the blessings of his covenant
must be had .without money, or price ; but they would needs
pawn their legal qualifications upon God, and barter the mat-
ter with him ; and thus, instead of casting out the stones, or
preparing the way of the people, (Is. lxi. 10,) they threw
stones and stumbling-blocks in the way of the salvation of
sinners by the Messiah.

4. These builders deadened the ordinances of God by their
formality. Though they retained the shell of ordinances,
they never regarded the end, either with respect to their own
souls, or the souls of their people, which was fellowship and
communion with God therein ; for which reason God declares
his abhorrence of his own institutions, Is. i. 11, 12 &c. "To
what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices unto me'!
saith the Lord : I am full of the burnt-offerings of rams, and
the fat of fed beasts, and I delight not in the blood of bul-
locks, or of lambs, or of he-goats," &c. One of the great
sources of this evil was, that if a man had been trained up at
the feet of Gamaliel for a few years, and got a smack of the
learning then in vogue, it was enough in their opinion to qua-
lify him for being a builder in the house of God, though in the
mean time he was an utter stranger to the work of God on

004 THE STONE REJECTED BY THE BUILDERS, [SER.

his soul ; as is evident from the instance of Nicodemus, who,
when Christ tries him upon the head of regeneration, he bab-
bles and speaks nonsense : John iii. 4 : " How can a man be
born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his
mother's womb, and be born ?" Hence is that sharp challenge,
ver. 10 : " Art thou a master of Israel, and knowest not these
things ?" There Christ speaks of it as a thing criminal, that
men should be made teachers of the church, who were stran-
gers to a work of grace ; for what but dead formal wor-
ship could be performed by men " dead in trespasses and
sins 1"

5. They were continually dabbling in politics, and gave
themselves up to the conduct of carnal wisdom and policy in
the matters of God and his church ; and through this car-
nal wisdom, they wrere led on to crucify the Lord of glory :
" It is expedient that one man die for the people : and if he
be not taken out of the way, the world will go after him ;
and so the Romans shall come and take away our kingdom."
When once a church comes to stand upon the rotten prop of
carnal wisdom and policy, she is near to ruin. It is true,
ministers are to be " wise as serpents ;" but the wisdom of
the serpent will soon lead us off our feet to pernicious courses,
if not attended with the simplicity of the dove ; and therefore
we need, "that in simplicity and godly sincerity, not with
fleshly wisdom, but by the grace of God, we should have our
conversation in this world."

0. The Jewish builders valued themselves exceedingly upon
their connexion with the rulers and great folk in that day ;
and having joined interests with them, treated the common
people, especially those who owned Christ, and attended his
ministry and that of his apostles, as an unhallowed mob; as
is clear from John vii. from ver. 45, and downward ; where
they, having sent some of their officers to apprehend Christ,
the officers return, declaring that " never man spake like this
man;" to which the Pharisees reply, "Are ye also deceived ?
Have any of the rulers, or of the Pharisees believed on him ?
But this people who knoweth not the law are cursed." As if
the common people had been obliged to follow them, and the
rulers with whom they connect themselves, by an implicit
faith and obedience, without ever bringing their doctrine
and actions to the bar of the law and testimony, to be tried
there.

7. They and the rulers having got the ascendant in the
sanhedrim, and other courts, they took care to keep the
power upon their side, by bringing in none but men of their
own stamp and spirit : and if any man adventure to open his
mouth, or testify against their corruptions in principle or prac-

XVIII.] EXALTED AS THE HEAD-STONE OF THE CORNER. G05

tice, presently combinations are formed, plots are laid, and
the edge of the church's discipline, which they had grasped,
is turned against him as a turbulent person, an enemy to- the
law and temple ; as is clear from their management with
Christ, his apostles, and the protomartyr Stephen. But yet,
notwithstanding of their pretended regard to the temple, they
admitted the buyers and sellers to enter into it, by which
they turned that holy place into a den of thieves, as Christ
tells them to their face, John ii. 16, and Matth. xxi. 13.
And whatever regard they pretended to the law, by a show
of sanctity before the world, yet they abandoned themselves
to all manner of secret and heart wickedness : hence our
Lord compares them to painted sepulchres ; glorious without,
but within full of dead men's bones and rottenness, Matth.
xxiii. 27.

Again ; however careful they were to cloak and palliate
their secret wickedness, yet now and then it was breaking
out, to the great scandal and offence of the poor people of
God ; by which means they made themselves contemptible,
and caused many to stumble at the law, and abhor the sa-
crifices of the Lord, as administered by them ; as is plain
from Mai. ii. 8, 9 : " Ye are departed out of the way : ye
have caused many to stumble at the law : ye have corrupted
the covenant of Levi, saith the Lord of hosts. Therefore
have I also made you contemptible and base before all the
people, according as ye have not kept my ways, but have
been partial in the law."

Having lost the hearts of the people by these means, they
gave themselves up to all manner of sloth and indolence,
taking care to feed their own bellies, and enrich themselves'
with the good of this world, while in the. mean time they
entirely neglected the flock and heritage of God. Hence is
that charge against them, by the prophet, Is. Ivi. 10 — 12:
" His watchmen are blind: they are all ignorant, they are all
dumb dogs, they cannot bark ; sleeping, lying down, loving
to slumber. Yea, they are greedy dogs which can never
have enough, and they are shepherds that cannot under-
stand: they all look to their own way, every one for his gain,
from his quarter. Come ye, say they, I will fetch wine, and
we will fill ourselves with strong drink, and to-morrow shall
be as this day, and much more abundant."

Those Jewish rulers ruled the Lord's people with rigour,
invaded their freedoms and liberties, bound heavy burdens on
them, which they themselves would not touch with one of
their fingers ; by this means the Lord's people were scat^
tered from the worship of God in their synagogues, as sheep
having no shepherd. Hence is that plain dealing by the pro-

51*

606 THE STONE REJECTED BY THE BUILDERS, [SEK,

phet, Ezek. xxxiv. 2 — 6: "Thus saith the Lord God unto the
shepherds, Wo be to the shepherds of Israel, that do feed
themselves ; should not the shepherds feed the flocks? Ye
eat the fat, and ye clothe you with the wool, ye kill them
that are fed ; but ye feed not the flock. The diseased have
ye not strengthened, neither have ye healed that which was
sick, neither have ye bound up that which was broken, nei-
ther have ye brought again that which was driven away,
neither have ye sought that which was lost ; but with force
and with cruelty have ye ruled them. And they were scat-
tered, because there was no shepherd : and they became
meat to all the beasts of the field, when they were scattered.
My sheep wandered through all the mountains, and upon
every high hill; yea, my flock was scattered upon all the
face of the earth, and none did search or seek after them."

In short, to such a degree of corruption were they arrived,
that the holy and profane, the clean and unclean, were alike
to them, provided they were of their way and party : Ezek.
xxii. 25, 26 : " There is a conspiracy of her prophets in the
midst thereof, like a roaring lion ravening the prey : they have
devoured souls : they have taken the treasure and precious
things ; they have made her many widows in the midst
thereof. Her priests have violated (as in the original,) offered
violence to my law, and have profaned my holy things ; they
have put no difference between the holy and profane, neither
have they showed difference between the unclean and the
clean."

Thus, the Jewish church, and particularly her pretended
builders, we see were sunk into the very dregs of corruption.
And hence it came, that when the glorious and long looked-
for Messiah actually appeared among them, upon the stage of
this world, instead of giving him a reception suitable to his
excellency, as Immanuel, God-man, they treated him with the
utmost contempt. Though he opened his commission, and
made it evident to the world, by his doctrine, miracles, and
the whole of his conversation, that he was none other than
the brightness of his Father's glory ; yet they disparaged his
person, denied his supreme Deity,, esteeming him only as the
son of the carpenter, contradicted his doctrine, and studied
to obscure his miracles, by ascribing them to the power of
Beelzebub the prince of devils; they blackened his character
with reproaches, as though he had been a glutton, a wine-
bibber, a friend of publicans and sinners; and at length cru-
cified him ignominiously, as though he had been a notorious
impostor, betwixt two thieves ; and when, after his resurrec-
tion from the dead, he came to them in the ministry of his
apostles, bringing his righteousness and salvation near to

XVIII.] EXALTED AS THE HEAD-STONE OP THE CORNER. 607

them, they finally rejected him, and all the offers of his grace ;
for which reason, God was provoked, by a heavy sentence of
excommunication, to cut them off from being a church or
nation, under which they are lying to this day, his blood be-
ing upon them and upon their children, according to their
wish at his crucifixion. And thus we see how the stone of
God's choosing was rejected by the builders. Let their ex-
ample and ruin serve as so many beacons, that we of the
Gentile churches may not dash ourselves upon the same church-
ruining and soul-destroying rocks ; which is the very use the
apostle Paul makes of this subject, when writing to the Ro-
mans, chap. xi. 20 — 23: "Well; because of unbelief they
were broken off, and thou standest by faith. Be not high-
minded, but fear. For if God spared not the natural branches,
take heed lest he also spare not thee. Behold, therefore, the
goodness, and severity of God: on them which fell, severity;
but towards thee, goodness, if thou continue in his goodness:
otherwise thou also shalt be cut off." Which melancholy
event actually happened to the church of Christ at Rome, as
we see at this very day ; it being now the seat of Antichrist,
and a synagogue of Satan.

The only thing that remains upon this head is, to answer
the following question : —

Whence was it that the Jewish builders rejected Christ,
the stone of God's choosing, trying, and laying '(

Anszv. 1. This fatal error of theirs.proceeded from their ig-
norance of Christ, in the excellency of his person, and of the
glorious mystery of redemption and salvation through him-:
Acts iii. 17: "I wot that through ignorance ye did it, as did
also your rulers." 1 Cor. ii. 7, 8 : " We speak the wisdom of
God in a mystery ; — which none of the princes of this world
knew: for had they known it, they would not have crucified
the Lord of glory." They were men of no despicable parts,
capable enough to toss an argument; they thought themselves
the only seers in Israel in their day: "Are we blind also?"
Yet Christ declares them blind like moles, in things relating to
his kingdom. The least of Christ's babes, whom they reck-
oned among the accursed mob, had more of the saving know-
ledge of God, and of the things of God, than they ; and the
blind leading the blind, both stumbled on the stumbling-stone,
and fell into the ditch together.

2. Mistaken notions of the nature of the Messiah's kingdom
was another cause of their rejecting this precious stone. They
had formed a notion to themselves, without any real ground
from scripture-prophecy, that the Messiah was to appear in
the form of an earthly monarch, and that he was to lift up
the head of the Jewish nation, and make the Romans, and all

608 THE STONE REJECTED BY THE BUILDERS, [SER.

the nations of the world,t heir vassals and tributaries; but,
finding themselves mistaken, they disown and crucify him as
an impostor. Which by the by, serves to discover what a
dangerous thing it is, not to have right conceptions of the
spiritual nature of Christ's kingdom. I am persuaded, that
carnal notions of the kingdom of Christ, which is not of this
world, lie at the bottom of many of the evils and corruptions
in the day in which we live.

V. 'The fifth thing in the method was, to inquire what may
be implied in Christ's being made the head-stone of the corner,
notwithstanding of the attempts of the builders to justle him out
of his place.

1. Then, It implies Christ's exaltation and victory over all
his enemies and opposers : he will have the better of them,
let them do their worst : however Christ and his cause, in-
terest, and people, may be borne down for awhile, yet the
scales will turn, and, like the house of David, they shall pre-
vail. Christ was personally oppressed and afflicted, " he drank
of the brook in the way :" yet at length " he lifted up the
head, and God hath highly exalted him, and given him a
name above every name." And as it was with Christ per-
sonally, so it will be with his injured members. However
they be " afflicted, tost with tempests, and not comforted, yet
God will lay their stones with fair colours, and their founda-
tions with sapphires." Though Sion may be laid in ashes, yet
she shall be built up again by the almighty God ; and when
the Lord brings her forth to the light, then "shame shall co-
ver her who said, Where is the Lord thy God ?"

2. It implies that God has a great regard for the glory of
his Son, as the head and king of his church ; and that it is
his will, " that all men should honour him, even as they hon-
our the Father." This was intimated by a royal mandate, is-
sued forth from the excellent glory, " This is my beloved Son,
in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him." God does not
reckon it any injury done to him as God Creator, that we
worship and serve him in the person of the Redeemer, for
"his name is in him ;" his glory, his majesty, and other excel-
lent perfections, are in him as they are in the Father; and
therefore it is his will, "That at the name of Jesus every
knee should bow, and every tongue confess, that Jesus Christ
is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."

3. It implies, that the whole spiritual fabric or building of
the church hangs upon him, as the superstructure leans upon
the foundation and chief corner-stone. "He shall build the
temple, and bear the glory," says the prophet Zechariah ;
and Is. xxii. 24 : " They shall hang upon him all the glory of

XVIII.] EXALTED AS THE HEAD-STONE OF THE CORNER. 609

his Father's house." All the doctrines of the church, and
truths of the everlasting gospel, lean upon him ; he is their
Alpha and Omega ; hence we read of " the truth as it in Je-
sus;" they meet in him as the spokes of a wheel in the nave.
All the promises meet in him ; " they are in him yea, and
amen." All the precepts lean upon his authority; for the
Jaw is "the law of Christ," it is his "yoke and burden." The
whole discipline of the church hangs upon him ; the keys of
doctrine and discipline hang at his girdle. The government
of the church pertains to him; for it is laid upon his shoul-
ders. The ordinances and worship of the church hang on
him ; no sort of worship, or a part of worship, can be ad-
mitted, but what bears the impression of his institution. The
officers of the church hang upon him for their commission,
and success in their work. In a word, all the members of
the church hang upon him: "The whole offspring and issue,
the vessels of small quantity, from vessels of cups to vessels of
flagons, hang on him, as upon a nail fastened in a sure place."

4. His being made the head-stone of the corner implies,
that he is the alone centre of unity in the church ; for the
head-stone of the corner knits the whole building together,
and if that be removed, the walls of the house fall asunder,
and so the whole fabric is ruined. If we do not hold the
head-stone of the corner, by which the whole building is sup-
plied and knit together, the fabric of a church, however po-
litically framed, can never stand long. And the reason why
the house is tottering at this day, is because there is too much
of receding from the corner-stone. Usually, indeed, in a time
of defection, the pulpits of those builders whose hands are
deepest in it, ring with the doctrine of peace ; and if a tongue
be moved against the corrupt measures they are going into,
the cry is raised, " These that turn the world upside down,
are come hither also ;" while in the mean time it is such as
depart from the corner-stone that ruin and tear the building,
and not they who give warning to the house or family of its
being in danger of falling. They who do give warning may
lay (.heir account to be beaten by their fellow builders, that
are losing the corner-stone. But this needs be no surprise,
for in all ages Christ's witnesses have tormented them that
dwell upon the earth ; and it needs be no discouragement, for
though they may be killed and buried, yet there will be a re-
surrection both of names and persons.

5. His being the head-stone of the corner implies, that Christ
is the beauty and ornament of his church ; for much of the
beauty and ornament of the building lies in the corner-stone.
We are told, the daughters of Zion were " like a corner-
stone, polished after the similitude of a palace." Christ is

610 THE STONE REJECTED BY THE BUILDERS, [SER.

the glory of his people Israel :" and no wonder, for he is " the
brightness of his Father's glory." When he is in the midst
of his church, countenancing his ordinances, and judicatories,
then it is " she looks forth as the morning, fair as the moon,
clear as the sun, and terrible as an army with banners:" but
when he departs, all the glory departs, and a dismal Ichabod
succeeds:" "Yea, wo also unto them when I depart from
them ;" as may be seen at this day in the once famous church-
es of Lesser Asia, and other places where Christ had once
flourishing churches. They departed from the chief corner-
stone, in doctrine, discipline, worship, and government, and
this provoked him to depart; and upon his departure, the
songs of their temples were turned into bowlings.

6. It implies, that they who would build the church of
Christ must still have him in their eye, and that the whole of
their conduct and administration in the house of God must be
regulated with a view to his glory and honour. If in build-
ing a house the chief corner-stone be not kept in view, irre-
gular work cannot miss to ensue : just so is it in the case in
hand; if we shall pretend to build the house of God; and do
not keep our eyes on Christ, and his honour and interest,
whether in matters of discipline or doctrine, instead of build-
ing the church, we only disorder and disturb it, and throw all
into confusion. When we begin to work by carnal policy, or
to have a sinister eye upon serving the lusts and humours of
men, great or small, or our own worldly interests, and not
the glory of our great Redeemer, we but ruin and pull down
the church of Christ, instead of building it; and are fair to
bury our name, our ministry, and our own souls, and the
souls of multitudes, in tbe rubbish of it. Therefore there is
much need of disinterested views in the management of the
affairs of Christ. We that are ministers, as well as others,
had much need to learn the lesson of self-denial ; to deny our
own wisdom, and our worldly interest, as a trifle in respect
of his glory, and the advancement of his kingdom.

7. The text implies, that God and corrupt builders are
driving quite different measures and designs. The builders
reject the stone, but God will have it to be the head-stone of
the corner ; and which of the parties shall prevail, it is easy
to judge. Christ shall sit at his Father's right hand, till all his
enemies be made his footstool. He will break them that rise
up against him as a potter's vessel. " I have set my King,
(says the Lord,) upon my holy hill of Zion ;" and who is he
that will dethrone him?

VI. What was last proposed in the method, was the Appli-
cation of the whole. All the use I shall make of what has
been said, shall be wrrapt up in the following inferences: —

XVIII.] EXALTED AS THE HEAD-STONE OF THE CORNER. 611

Inf. 1. From what has been said, we may see the excel-
lency of the church of Christ ; why, she is a building, a house
for God to dwell in among the children of men. So valuable
is this building, that this whole visible creation is only a thea-
tre or scaffold for rearing the house ; and whenever the build-
ing is completed, the scaffold will be taken down, and com-
mitted to the flames. To discover the high estimate God
puts upon his church, he calls her by the most endearing
names and epithets. He designates her his spouse, his love, his
dove, his undefiled, his treasure, his portion, his Hephzibah and
Beulah, his bed, his resting-place, his walking-place, and his
dwelling-place. A whole Trinity, Father, Son, and Holy
Ghost, lay themselves out in their particular economy for the
upbuilding of this house : the grace of the Father, the love
and blood of the Son, and all the gracious influences and ope-
rations of the Holy Ghost, are laid out for carrying on the
work. The whole administrations of providence in the go-
vernment of the world are adjusted for the benefit of the
church, and the faithful members thereof. For (his end the
reins of administration, the keys of hell and death, were com-
mitted into the hands of Christ; for " God hath given him to
be the head over all things to the church, which is his body.
The Father hath put all tilings into the hand of the Son, that
so all the wheels of providence might be rolled and turned
about '* for the good of them that love him, and who are the
called according to his purpose." The whole institution and
administration of gospel ordinances, and all the officers of his
ordination, whether ordinary or extraordinary, are designed
for her edification, as we see in that forecited Eph. iv. 11 —
13, &c. This may let us see what a valuable trust we have
among our hands, to whom God has committed the affairs of
the church, and how tenderly it concerns us to manage them,
even like those who are to make an account to the great Lord
of the house.

Inf. 2. Is Christ the stone in a way of eminence 1 Then
we may see how necessary and useful it is to preach Christ;
why, he is the stone by way of eminence, the stone of God's
laying, of his choosing, and the stone which God will have
for head-stone of the corner. Paul, as a wise master-builder,
laid this foundation among his hearers, and declares that "an-
other foundation can no man lay." It is " Christ whom we
preach." " 1 desire," says he, " to know nothing among you
save Christ, and him crucified." The whole of the scripture
revelation meets in him as its centre : all the histories, pro-
phecies, promises, types, precepts, doctrines, and ordinances,
of the word, are just full of Christ. The whole Bible, what
is it but the testament of Christ, and the testimonial that Christ

612 THE STONE REJECTED BY THE BUILDERS, [sER.

brought from heaven'? " These are they which testify of
me." " These things are written, that ye may believe in
the name of the only begotten Son of God, and that believing
ye may have life in him." And to be sure what is the scope
of the' whole revelation of the mind of God in the word,
ought to be the scope and design of all our sermons. What-
ever particular doctrines we insist upon, ought still to be in-
grafted upon the blessed Branch that springs out of the root
of Jesse ; for the truth is only rightly dispensed, and rightly
known "as it is in Jesus." Hence the great Mr. Durham
tells us, in his first sermon on Is. liii. that "Christ stands un-
der a fourfold relation to preaching: 1. He is the text of it.
All preaching is to explain him ; and that preaching which
does not stand in relation to him, is a preaching besides the
text. 2. He is the ground-work and foundation of preaching..
So that preaching without him wants a foundation, and is but
building castles in the air. 3. He is the great end of preach-
ing, namely, to set him on high in the hearts and affections
of our heaters. The design of preaching is not to make our-
selves, but our Master, great, to cause his name to be remem-
bered. 4. He is the very power and life of preaching ; for he
is M the power of God and the wisdom of God ;" and the gos-
pel is called " the power of God unto salvation, because there-
in is revealed the righteousness of God from faith to faith." —
Thus far that great man.

Inf. 3. If the ministers of the gospel be builders of the
house, then see hence the need of trying a man's acquaint-
ance with Christ and the power of religion, before he is ad-
mitted to ministerial communion, as a fellow-builder in the
house of God. Why, that man who is not really acquainted
with Christ in an experienced way, may be fair to reject the
stone of God's choosing, and so ruin the building, and bury
himself and many souls in the ruins of it. Masons know one
another, they have certain signs and words by which they are
capable to distinguish men of their own art and business from
others; so, skilful builders in the house of God are capable,
by a spiritual discerning, to know who are fit for being ad-
mitted to the work of the Lord, and who not. If such a dis-
cerning be given, even to church-members, as to " try the
spirits, whether they are of God, because many false pro-
phets are gone out into the. world," 1 John iv. 1 ; much more
may be supposed that this discerning faculty is to be found
among faithful ministers of the gospel. Hence is that of the
apostle to Timothy, 2 Epist. ii. 2 : "The things that thou
hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit
thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also."

Inf. 4. Is it so that the stone is rejected by the builders ?

XVIII.] EXALTED AS HEAD-STONE OF THE CORNER. 613

Then see hence what a fatal and pernicious thing a corrupt,
erroneous, and ignorant ministry is to the church of Christ:
why, they spoil, mar, and destroy the whole building ; they
run counter to the great plot of Heaven, by casting away the
stone, which God has ordained to be the chief stone of the
corner. The new mode of preaching some men have fallen
into with their harangues and nourishes of morality, while
Christ is scarcely named, from the beginning to the end of
their discourse, I look on as a plot of hell to throw out the cor-
ner-stone, in order to bring us back to Heathenism or Anti-
christian darkness. Christ is " the light of the world ;" and if
he be removed, or shuffled out, where are we, but just among,
the "dark places of the earth, which are full of the habita-
tions of horrid cruelty?" So that, I say, a corrupt ministry,
whatever be their fine parts, are the very bane of the church
of Christ.

Inf. 5. If it be God's great design, that Christ should be
the chief stone of the corner ; if this, 1 say, be the resolution
of Heaven; then see hence, that all the attempts of hell for
the depression of Christ and the ruin of his cause, whether
by open enemies, or pretended builders, shall be abortive in
the issue ; for " the counsel of the Lord shall stand, and he
will do all his pleasure," in spite of hell and earth. And what
is his pleasure and counsel 1 Why, here it is, The stone uhich
the builders rejected, the same shall become the head-stone of the
corner. The gates of hell have made many an attempt to
get the stone of God's choosing rejected, in order to the ruin
of the church ; but they have never yet prevailed, and never
shall: Infinite Wisdom has always " taken the wise in their
own craftiness, and turned the counsel of the froward head-
long," and made these very devices of hell and its instruments
subservient to lift the corner-stone higher in the building, to
the shame and ruin of those who attempted to reject it. This
" little stone cut out of the mountain," has always proved too
hard for all the metals that clashed with it, and it will be so
to the end of time.

Inf. 6. See from what is said, what it is makes a flourish-
ing church. It is not her external peace, plenty, or prospe-
rity; not her connexion in politics with kings or parliaments,
patrons, heritors, or any other sort of men ; but her connex-
ion with the chief corner-stone. This, and this only, is what
beautifies the whole building, and makes her " increase with
the increase of God."

Inf. 7. See hence great ground of lamentation and humi-
liation at this day. The stone is rejected, which God would
have to be the chief stone of the corner. Is he not rejected
in his prophetical office, through the prevailing ignorance and

vol. i. 52

014 THE STONE REJECTED BY THE BUILDERS, [sEtf.

unbelief that is to be found among the hearers of the gospel 1
The old complaint may be still renewed in our day, " Who
hath believed our report ?" Is he not rejected in his priestly
office, while the generality, with the Jews, "go about to es-
tablish their own righteousness, and refuse the righteousness
of God ?" And is he not rejected in his kingly office and head-
ship in his church, by the abounding profanity, atheism and
immorality of our day ; by the generality of professed Chris-
tians breaking his bands, and casting his cords from them ? I
cannot now stand to give a full narrative of the injuries that
have been done to the royal prerogative of this King of kings.
and Lord of lords.

The Roman Antichrist has for a long time invaded the pre-
rogative of the Son of God, by usurping a headship over the
church: " He sits in the temple of God, exalting himself above
all that is called God." At the imperfect reformation of Eng-
land, when they threw off the Pope as the head of the church,
they lodged the same in the King, declaring him to be supreme
head in all cases civil or ecclesiastic. In the late days of
Scotland's apostacy from God, the crown was sacrilegiously
taken from Christ's head among us also, and set upon the
head of a persecuting apostate. Dreadful were the invasions
and encroachments that were made upon the crown-royal of
the King of Zion, by king, parliaments, and persons of all
ranks; particularly by the act recissory, by which axes and
hammers were lifted up upon the carved work of the temple,
hewing down the glorious work of reformation, restoring ab-
jured Prelacy, rescinding the obligations of our solemn co-
venants, yea, ordering them to be burnt at the cross of Edin-
burgh, by the hand of the common hangman, prosecuting to
the very death all that owned a work of reformation.

In those bloody days, the headship and sovereignty of Christ
was contended for by many of the Lord's worthies even unto
death; and it has been the peculiar honour of the church of
Scotland, particularly in those days of persecution, to bear
testimony to Christ, as the alone head and king of his church,
in opposition to those dangerous and heaven-daring encroach-
ments that were made upon it. And it is much to be regret-
ted and lamented, that since the Lord turned back our capti-
vity, in any measure, at the late wonderful revolution, by
which we were freed from the yoke of lordly Prelacy, we
have not been so zealous for our great King, and his preroga-
tives, which were so much invaded, as might have been ex-
pected, upon our deliverance from that Egyptian thraldom. I
do not rememher of any particular act of assembly, since the
revolution, by which the rights of the crown of Christ are as-
serted, in opposition to the encroachments that were made

XVlfl.] EXALTED AS HEAD-STONE OF THE CORNER. 615

upon them in those days of public apostacy and persecution.
Yea, instead of that, are there not invasions and encroach-
ments made upon the authority of Christ, and the immunities
of his kingdom, even since that period, particularly in the
end of Queen Anne's reign, when designs were formed for
the overthrow of a Protestant succession? His headship and
authority was invaded by an almost boundless toleration of
all errors in doctrine, and corruptions in worship, except-
ing Popery, and blasphemy against the Holy Trinity ; two
evils that never prevailed more in the memory of man in
these lands, than since the toleration act was passed. His
authority was at the same time invaded by the act restoring
patronages, by which power is given to a malignant lord or
laird, to present a man to take the charge of precious souls,
who has perhaps no more concern about their salvation than
the Great Turk. And is it not matter of lamentation, to
see some of the judicatories of this church, whose province
it is to contend for the sovereignty of Christ, and the rights
of his subjects, falling in with patrons and heritors of the
nation, in opposition to the known rights of the Christian
people to elect and choose their own pastors? How are
the rights of the Lord's people invaded and trodden upon by
violent settlements up and down the land? A cry is gone up
to heaven against the builders, by the spouse of Christ, like
that, Cant. v. 7: "The watchmen that went about the city,
found me, they smote me, they wounded me ; the keepers of
the walls took away my veil from me." A cry and complaint
came in before the bar of the last assembly, for relief and re-
dress of these, and many other grievances both from ministers
and people ; but instead of a due regard had to it, an act is
passed confining the power of election to heritors and elders,
by which a new wound is given to the prerogative of Christ,
and the privilege of his subjects. I shall say the less of this
act now, that I had opportunity to exonorate myself, with
relation to it, before the national assembly, where it was
passed. Only allow me to say, that whatever church au-
thority may be in that act, yet it wants the authority of the
Son of God. All ecclesiastical authority under heaven is de-
rived from him ; and therefore any act that wants his autho-
rity, has no authority at all. And seeing the reverend synod
has put me in this place, where I am in "Christ's stead, I must
be allowed to say of this act, what I apprehend Christ himself
would say of it, were he personally present where I am, and
that is, that by this act the corner-stone is receded from, he is
rejected with his poor members, and the rich of this world put
in their room ; I say, were Christ here present, 1 think he
would say in relation to that act, " In as much as ye did it

616 THE STONE REJECTED BY THE BUILDERS. [SER.

unto one of the least of these, ye did it unto me." By this
act Christ is rejected in his authority, because I can find no
warrant from the word of God, to confer the spiritual privi-
leges of his house upon the rich beyond the poor : whereas
by this act, the man with the gold ring and gay clothing, is
preferred to the man with the vile raiment and poor attire. I
add, farther, that this act, I judge to be inconsistent with the
principles and the practices of the best reformed churches,
asserted in their public confessions of faith, and particularly
with the known principles of this church, since the reforma-
tion, asserted in our books of discipline, which we are bound
by solemn covenant to maintain. I am firmly persuaded,
that if a timely remedy be not provided, this act will very
soon terminate in the overthrow of the church of Scotland,
and of a faithful ministry therein, in regard that the power of
electing ministers is thereby principally lodged in the hands
of a set of men who are generally disaffected to the power of
godliness, to the doctrine, discipline, worship, and govern-
ment of this church, as well as to the government of our gra-
cious sovereign King George, and the Protestant succession
in his family.

All sound Presbyterians, who read the history of our fore-
fathers, generally approve of the practice of Mr. Samuel
Rutherford, Mr. James Guthrie, and other ministers of this
church, who protested against the resolutions, as a thing in-
consistent with our covenants, and prejudicial to the work of
reformation, although thereby the door was only opened to
malignants to come into places of civil or military trust ; and
we who live at this time of day, may see the pernicious effects
these resolutions had in the church of Scotland. But what
would our forefathers have thought, or what will succeeding
generations think of this act of assembly ; by which malig-
nants are vested, not with a civil or military, but with an
ecclesiastical power, in the settlement of the generality of
ministers through the church of Scotland 1 By which means
the church of Scotland, and her sacred privileges, are ren-
dered exceedingly cheap, even in the eyes of her avowed
enemies ; this being a compliment they neither expected nor
desired at our hands. But, after all, I have good reason to
believe, that this act is far from being the mind of the gene-
rality of presbyteries throughout this national church ; and
therefore would gladly hope a seasonable stand shall yet be
made against it, in order to prevent its pernicious conse-
quences.

My last inference shall be in a word of Exhortation. Are
ministers of the gospel builders of the church, and is it the
great plot of Heaven to have Christ exalted as the head-stone

XVIII.] EXALTED AS THE HEAD-STONE OF THE CORNER. 617

of the corner ? Then let me call and exhort my reverend
brethren and fathers (and I desire to apply the exhortation to
myself,) to concur with heart and hand, in lifting up the chief
corner-stone, and making his name to be remembered to
all generations, that the people may praise him for ever and
ever. However he has been, or still is rejected by other
builders: yet let us study to exalt him, saying one to another,
" O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name to-
gether."

1 shall not stay, after what has been said, to use many mo-
tives : only, in so many words, let us consider the excellency
of his person, and the relation he bears to us and others of
our tribe or family, both by nature and office ; he being "Im-
manuel, God with us," ordained the great Prophet, Priest, and
King of the church, to answer the maladies and miseries of
ignorance, guilt, and bondage, we are brought under by the
sin of the first Adam. Let us consider, that it is his Father's
will, " that all men should honour him, even as they honour
the Father" himself; yea, his Father has "highly exalted
him, and given him a name above every name," and hath
ordered that " every tongue shall confess, that Jesus is the
Lord, to the glory of God the Father." Let us consider, that
this is the work of the Holy Ghost, the gi'eat scope of all his
dictates in the word, and of all his graces, influences, and
operations, in the heart, being to lift up this corner-stone:
John xvi. 14: " He shall glorify me ; for he shall receive of
mine, and shall show it unto you." This is the work in which
angels delight to be employed : with what alacrity do they
celebrate his nativity, and tell the tidings of it to the shep-
herds! Luke ii. 10, 11: " Behold, I bring you good tidings of
great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born
this day, in the city of David, a Saviour, which is Christ the
Lord." And thereupon, ver. 13, 14: "a multitude of the
heavenly host praise God, saying, Glory to God in the high-
est, and on earth peace, good-will towards men." This was
the work of all the prophets under the Old Testament ; they
all prophesied of him, " testified of his sufferings, and of the
glory that should follow." They were as so many harbin-
gers, sent to prepare the world for the reception of this glo-
rious person. All the apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors,
and teachers, given by him to the New Testament church,
have had this as the great scope of their ministry, to edify
the body of Christ, by lifting up the glory of this head-stone
of the corner, Rev. iv. 10. In short, this is and has been the
business of the church militant here upon earth, and will be
the work of the church triumphant through eternity. They
all with one voice cry, " Worthy is the Lamb that was slain,

61S THE STONE REJECTED BY THE BUILDERS, [SER.

to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and
honour, and glory, and blessing," Rev. v. 12. And is it not
glorious encouragement to us, to lift up the honour of our Re-
deemer, when we have such company to join us in our work?

Again, let us consider that Christ is the sto?ie, without which
there can be no building, for he is the Church's all ; " Christ
is all, and in all." He is her light, her life, her righteousness,
her strength, her peace, her food, her clothing, her wisdom,
her holiness. So that if he be wanting, all is wanting, and
the church is ruined. We cannot answer the commission we
bear from our great Master, if we do not exalt the chief
corner-stone. It is " Christ whom we preach," Col. i. 28.
We are to be of Paul's spirit, " to know nothing" among our
hearers, " but Christ, and him crucified;" we are " always to
triumph in the revelation of Christ, so as the savour of his
knowledge maybe made manifest by us in everyplace." To
conclude, we can never finish our course with joy, and the
ministry we have received of the Lord, except this be the
great scope of our work whether in doctrine, discipline,,
worship, or government.

I shall shut up this discourse with a few advices in order
to our being successful builders of this glorious fabric, of
which Christ is the head-stone of the corner.

1. Then, Let us beware of the fatal errors before men-
tioned by which the Jewish builders ruined their once glo-
rious fabric, and buried themselves in the ruins of it. Let
us beware of those doctrines, Vented in our day, which dis-
parage the person of our glorious Redeemer, and derogate
from his supreme and independent Deity, or his headship and
sovereignty in his church. Let us beware of nauseating the spi-
rituality of his doctrine, and the sublime mysteries of our holy
religion, preferring to it the harangues of moralists. When
we preach the law, let us open it in its extent and spirituality,
so as to turn its edge upon the heart and conscience, that it
may be " a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart."
Let us preach up the everlasting righteousness of the Son, as
the only ground of a sinner's justification, and beware of
every thing that has the least tendency to foster a sinner in
his hope of salvation by the works of the law. Let us be-
ware of blocking up the door of access to Christ, by legal
qualifications, which are no where to be had but in Christ
himself. Let us beware of formality either in preaching or
praying, by which we may deaden the ordinances of God, to
our own souls, or the souls of our hearers ; and, in order
thereto, let us take care to license or lay hands upon none, but
such as, in the judgment of charity, we have reason to think
are acquainted with the power of godliness, even though

XVIII.] EXALTED AS THE HEAD-STONE OF THE CORNER. 619

they have been trained up in literature at the foot of a pro-
fessor of divinity. Let us beware of carnal policy in the
matters of Christ's kingdom and glory. Let us beware of
valuing ourselves upon the favour of men, great or small.
Especially let us take care, that we be not swayed in the
matters of Christ with the favour of great men ; for this
has been "a snare on Mizpeh, and a net spread upon Tabor."
Let us study impartially the exercise of discipline, and be-
ware of turning the edge of it against them that deserve it
least. And let us set ourselves to stop these passages into
the house of God, by which thieves and robbers most or-
dinarily enter, that the house of God be not turned into a den
of thieves.

2. In order to our being successful builders, let us seek the
builders' word from the great Master builder ; for there is a
word which Christ gives to his faithful ministers, by which
the art of building is much conveyed, John xvii. 14 : " I have
given them thy word." Without this word from the mouth
of Christ, we will never know the true art of building the
church : by this word the man of God is made a perfect
builder, thoroughly furnished to every good work. And if
you ask me, what is that word 1 I answer, It is an expe-
rimental acquaintance with the powTer of the word upon the
soul, particularly the knowledge of that leading mystery,
" God manifested in the flesh."

3. Let us take care that every stone of the building cor-
respond with the foundation and corner-stone ; whatever doc-
trines or practices do not hang right with this regulating
stone ; let that be cast. In order to which, let us examine
our own and others' doctrines and conversation by the plumb
line and infallible rule of the word : "To the law and to the
testimony : if they speak not according to this word, it is be-
cause there is no light in them," Isa. viii. 20.

4. Let us observe the signs of the times ; and whenever
we discern the danger coming, either from open enemies, or
pretended friends, let us give the cry, like faithful watchmen;
and, though fellow-builders be offended, there is no help for
that. It is a heavy charge that is laid by God against some,
as above, that they were " dumb dogs, that could not bark,"
but preferred their own carnal ease to the safety of the
church, Isa. Ivi. 10 — 12.

5. Lastly, Let us wrestle much at a throne of grace for
the countenance of the great Master, and assistance of his
Spirit ; for " except the Lord build the house, the builders
build in vain. Paul may plant, and Apollos water ; but it is
God that giveth the increase."

END of vor. I.

°ATE DUE

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